Firms to fund treatment

Tobacco companies will be required to contribute part of their profits to a fund to treat cancer patients in Kenya, according to a story in The Star.

It wasn’t clear from the story whether the fund would be used to treat all cancer patients, only tobacco smokers, or only those people with smoking-related cancers.

The requirement to pay into the fund is said to be included in the 2014 Tobacco Control Regulations that came into force last week after British American Tobacco lost the case it brought against the regulations.

The story said the regulation required tobacco companies to pay two percent of the ‘value’ of the tobacco products manufactured in or imported into Kenya.

“We expect the tobacco companies will be mandated to take responsibility and support the government’s efforts in curbing the rising effects of tobacco use through mandatory contribution to the Tobacco Control Fund,” said Joel Gitali the head of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance.