Government Targets Herbal and Flavored Shisha in Expanded Tobacco Crackdown

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 5-The Ministry of Health has initiated a fresh push to tighten Kenya’s tobacco control framework with proposed rules that would Kenya breaking news | Kenya news today |..

✨ Key Highlights

Kenya's Ministry of Health is proposing new rules to completely ban shisha smoking and all waterpipe tobacco products, including herbal and flavored variants, citing evolving public health risks.

The draft rules, titled Public Health (Prohibition of Shisha Smoking and Waterpipe Tobacco Products) Rules, 2026, aim to close loopholes in the existing 2017 regulations.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health has developed these rules, which also address the spread of infectious diseases through shared waterpipe equipment.
Stakeholders are invited to submit written comments by June 30, 2026, with public hearings scheduled in various counties.