Nairobi – September 19, 2012; The government of Kenya has started the process of developing Pictorial Health Warnings to be displayed on all packages of tobacco products.
This is in accordance with article 11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( FCTC) which stipulates that each party shall adopt and implement effective packaging and labeling measures within a period of three years after entry into force of the convention for that party. It further recommends that such messages shall be large, clear, visible and legible, covering at least 50% of the principal display area and not less than 30% of principal display area.
Kenya ratified the FCTC in June 2004 and enacted a tobacco control law in October 2007. The law recommends a set of fourteen health messages which should be displayed on every package of tobacco products in Kenya. Dr. Patrick Waihenya is the acting Head of the Division for Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation;
‘ We have been having text messages and are now ready to move to another level. The Division is keen on developing Pictorial Health Warnings and calls upon stakeholders to fully participate.’
The Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) is supporting the development of the first set of at least ten pictorial health warnings. At least ten key messages have been selected covering the broad areas that include; addiction, reproductive health effects, reproductive dysfunction, second hand smoke, respiratory system effects, oral effects, vascular effects, systemic diseases like heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, as well as the effect on breath and beauty.
CTCA has identified a consultant, Mr. Mohee Deowan, who was instrumental in developing the PHWs in Mauritius, to work with the Kenya team to develop the messages. A consultative process of the key stakeholders has already taken place and the stakeholders have given the technical team permission to go ahead with the process. The activity started at the beginning of September, 2012. CTCA’s Advocacy and Communications Specialist, Jennifer Kalule_Musamba is on the ground working with the team.
‘As technical people, our role is to agree on the settings and types of pictures we need for the texts. We have a professional photographer to take the identified sceneries which will later be designed by a graphic designer. This will be followed by a comprehensive pre-testing exercise with various rural and urban populations including male and female smokers, as well as non-smokers, ’ says Mr. Mohee Deowan, the Graphic Health Warnings Consultant.