Nicotine is highly addictive and particularly harmful to children and adolescents, with risks ranging from impaired brain development and mood disorders to heart disease and long-term tobacco dependence.
As Kenya moves to raise taxes on tobacco and nicotine products under the Finance Bill 2026, a deeper public health question is emerging: will higher taxes and tighter regulation be enough to shield adolescents from a fast-growing nicotine epidemic?
That question has gained urgency after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a fresh warning over the rapid expansion of tobacco and nicotine products, saying aggressive industry marketing is pulling adolescents and young people into early addiction.
In a statement, the WHO noted that worldwide, at least 40 million children aged 13-15 use tobacco products, and young people’s use of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches continues to rise, while tobacco and nicotine companies are deliberately engineering their products to make them more appealing, easier to use and harder to quit, particularly for adolescents and young people.
The warning, issued on World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2026, under the theme “Unmasking the Appeal,” comes as Kenya reviews new fiscal and legal measures aimed at making tobacco and nicotine products less affordable and less accessible, especially to minors.
The Treasury’s Finance Bill 2026 has proposed increased excise taxes on tobacco products as part of broader revenue-raising and public health protection measures. Speaking while presenting the 2026/27 national budget highlights in Parliament on Thursday, June 11, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi proposed to adjust excise duty rates on other manufactured tobacco, tobacco substitutes, tobacco extracts and essences from Ksh11,382.48 per kilo to Ksh12,550 per kilo.
Mbadi further proposed to have the excise duty rates applicable to cigars, cheroots and cigarillos containing tobacco or tobacco substitutes to be adjusted from Ksh16,260.29 per kilo to Ksh18,000 per kilo. The proposal to hike taxes in support of public health reinforces what health experts have long argued: price remains one of the most effective deterrents against youth uptake. For Kenya, where tobacco-related deaths already stand between 9,000 and 12,000 annually, the stakes are high.
WHO says nicotine pouches, which are small sachets placed between the gum and lip that release nicotine through the lining of the mouth, are spreading rapidly, often outpacing regulation. Globally, retail sales of nicotine pouches surpassed 23 billion units in 2024, marking a more than 50 per cent increase. In 2025, the global nicotine pouch market was valued at US$7 billion (Ksh903 billion).
“The use of nicotine pouches is spreading rapidly, while regulation struggles to keep pace. Governments must act now with strong, evidence-based safeguards,” said Dr Vinayak Prasad, Unit Head of the Tobacco Initiative at WHO.
Experts link nicotine use to increased cardiovascular disease risk, impaired cognitive development, and mood disorders
The agency warns that nicotine itself is highly addictive and especially dangerous for children and adolescents whose brains are still developing.
“Nicotine exposure during adolescence can affect brain development, impacting attention and learning. Early nicotine use increases the likelihood of long-term dependence and future use of other tobacco products,” Vinayak warned.
The health consequences extend beyond addiction. Experts link nicotine use to increased cardiovascular disease risk, impaired cognitive development, mood disorders, and a higher likelihood of transitioning to combustible tobacco.
WHO data shows regulation remains dangerously uneven. At least 160 countries still have no explicit laws on nicotine pouches, while only 16 have banned them outright. Another 52 countries have partial regulation whereby five restrict flavours, 26 prohibit sales to minors, and 21 ban advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. That regulatory lag, WHO says, is being exploited by industry.
“These products are engineered for addiction, and there’s a strong need to protect our youth from industry manipulation,” said Dr Etienne Krug, Director of WHO’s Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention.
WHO says manufacturers are increasingly using sleek packaging, sweet flavours such as bubble gum and gummy bears, influencer campaigns, and social media advertising to make nicotine appear harmless, fashionable and discreet.
A cheaper nicotine pouch or vape can be easier for a teenager to access than a packet of cigarettes
The strategy is working. Some products mimic sweets and candy brands, lowering risk perception among young people and normalising nicotine use long before adulthood. In Kenya, the trend mirrors the global picture. The Ministry of Health says two in five adolescents reported seeing tobacco use on television, videos or films in the past 30 days.
Data from the Data on Youth and Tobacco in Africa (DaYTA) programme shows that one in 10 adolescents in Kenya had seen tobacco promotions at points of sale. The Ministry acknowledges many young users are exposed before age 15 through peers, retail shops and digital platforms.
Among university students, 12 per cent currently use tobacco products, 5.8 per cent use e-cigarettes, and 4.6 per cent use nicotine pouches.
That is where taxation enters the policy debate. Under the Finance Bill 2026, Kenya proposes higher excise duties on cigarettes, nicotine products and emerging alternatives, including vapes and synthetic nicotine products, part of a wider strategy to reduce affordability, particularly among young consumers.
Health economists say affordability is one of the strongest drivers of initiation. A cheaper nicotine pouch or vape can be easier for a teenager to access than a packet of cigarettes. Raising the price can delay or prevent that first use. WHO has consistently recommended taxation as one of the most effective tobacco control tools, especially when combined with advertising restrictions and age enforcement.
Yet Kenya’s own tax trajectory raises concern. In 2025, the World Bank reported tobacco tax effectiveness in Kenya had dropped by 39 per cent over the last decade, weakening one of the country’s strongest deterrents. Tobacco taxes contribute about 17 per cent of Kenya’s health-related “sin taxes,” levies imposed on products linked to major public health burdens including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
But taxes alone cannot fix what experts describe as a growing legal loophole. Kenya’s Tobacco Control Act of 2007 was considered one of Africa’s strongest anti-tobacco laws. It banned advertising, created smoke-free public spaces and introduced health warnings.
Smoking zones remain poorly partitioned, exposing non-smokers to second-hand smoke, while the sale of single cigarette sticks continues openly
But the law was written before nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes and synthetic nicotine entered the market. That blind spot has created space for new products to expand with limited oversight. Civil society groups say enforcement of even existing laws remains weak. Thomas Lindi, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance, told Willow Health Media that having strong laws did not automatically translate to effective enforcement.
On the ground, smoking zones remain poorly partitioned, exposing non-smokers to second-hand smoke, while the sale of single cigarette sticks banned under the 2007 Act continues openly. To close those gaps, Parliament is considering the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The Bill seeks to bring e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and synthetic nicotine under the same legal framework as traditional tobacco.
It proposes banning sales to minors, restricting sweet and candy flavours, regulating online advertising, and redefining “smoking” to include synthetic nicotine inhalation through electronic devices. It also expands the definition of “tobacco product” to include synthetic nicotine.
Public health advocates say the amendments are long overdue. But industry players are pushing back. British American Tobacco (BAT) says while it supports regulation, the law should distinguish between combustible tobacco and alternative nicotine products.
“The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates these products emit significantly reduced levels of toxicants and present a much lower risk profile compared to traditional combustible cigarettes,” BAT said in its submission to Parliament.
Recommendations include flavour bans, plain packaging, stronger age verification, tighter retail controls, advertising restrictions, and nicotine caps
The company argues blanket restrictions could discourage adult smokers from switching to lower-risk alternatives. That debate on harm reduction versus youth protection remains at the centre of Kenya’s nicotine policy. Kenya’s latest Path to Smoke-Free ranking placed the country 75th out of 101 nations, citing the unaffordability and inaccessibility of alternative products.
But public health experts warn that framing nicotine products as “safer” can be misleading, particularly for adolescents. For non-smokers, especially children, any nicotine exposure carries risk. That is why experts insist the solution must go beyond taxes.
WHO is calling for comprehensive regulation, including flavour bans, plain packaging, stronger age verification, tighter retail controls, advertising restrictions, nicotine caps and continuous surveillance of youth use trends. In Kenya, experts say enforcement must also move into digital spaces where youth-targeted nicotine marketing is accelerating fastest.
Schools, parents and healthcare workers will also need to play a bigger role in prevention through early education and counselling. The opportunity now lies in alignment. If Kenya’s Finance Bill and Tobacco Control Amendment Bill move in the same direction of increasing taxes, tightening laws and strengthening enforcement, they could form the country’s strongest anti-nicotine response in nearly two decades.
Experts say that would not just raise revenue; it could slow youth addiction, prevent long-term disease, and protect a generation increasingly being courted by an industry reinventing itself through flavour, fashion and digital influence.
