This archive report was first published on 7 August 2019.
Published on August 7, 2019, a study by the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (Ketca) highlighted the prevalence of shisha smoking in Nairobi's nightclubs, bars, and restaurants.
While many establishments have complied with the shisha ban, a significant number continue to break the law. The study found that 82% of the hospitality venues visited were in compliance, with Westlands recording a 100% compliance rate.
However, Parklands had the lowest level of compliance at 57%, with shisha smoking and equipment most often found in nightclubs (24%) and bars (20%). Restaurants, on the other hand, had the lowest incidence of shisha smoking at 5%.
The survey, conducted in 200 nightclubs, restaurants, and bars across six neighborhoods in Nairobi, revealed that many entertainment joints in Parklands sell banned shisha products to university students.
The Ministry of Health banned the sale of shisha in 2017, making Kenya the third country in East Africa to prohibit the smoking of water-pipe tobacco.
