Shisha Ban Overturned

Kenya’s ban on shisha is unlawful, a Mombasa court ruled, reports The Star.  

In overturning the measure, Shanzu Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Mkutu noted that Kenya’s health cabinet secretary had failed to submit the regulations to Parliament for approval as stipulated in a 2018 High Court directive.

As a result of the ruling, the magistrate ordered the immediate release of 48 individuals arrested and charged for selling and smoking shisha in January 2024.

Since December 2023, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse arrested more than 60 people in separate club raids in Nairobi and Mombasa.

The operations have also resulted in the confiscation of a substantial quantity of shisha paraphernalia, including shisha bongs and charcoal pipes.

Shisha smoking was outlawed in 2017. The ban covered the use, import, manufacture, sale, promotion and distribution of the product based on health concerns.