Kenya is stepping up its efforts to protect their communities by introducing new public health graphic health warnings on tobacco products.
The government announced the updated warnings on February 14, 2025, expanding the range of health risks covered and including warnings for smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches for the first time.
These warnings will appear on 30% of the front and 50% of the back of tobacco product packaging. The goal is to keep the messaging fresh and impactful, ensuring people—both smokers and non-smokers—understand the serious health risks linked to tobacco and nicotine use. The updated warnings are important because research shows that the previous warnings, introduced in 2014, had lost their impact over time.
Rachel Kitonyo-Devotsu, Regional Manager for Africa at the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer, says the new warnings will help raise awareness, particularly about newer tobacco and nicotine products on the Kenyan market.
This update also supports Kenya’s broader tobacco control efforts, including recent tax increases on tobacco products.
Kenya’s leadership in tobacco control
Kenya has been proactive in regulating tobacco, despite legal challenges from the industry. The country first introduced pictorial health warnings in 2014 in its Tobacco Control Regulations. When the regulations were challenged in court between 2015 and 2019, the government won every case. More recently, another legal challenge was quickly dismissed. Kenya is one of 18 countries in WHO’s Africa region with mandatory pictorial health warnings. However, some countries have gone even further - Benin requires warnings covering 90% of the pack, while Mauritius mandates warnings on 80% of the front and 100% of the back.
With these updates, Kenya continues to strengthen its commitment to public health, ensuring that people have clear and visible information about the dangers of tobacco and nicotine products.
The updated warnings must now go through Parliament for review, and once approved, tobacco companies will have nine months to implement them.