As the world commemorates World No Tobacco Day 2026, Kenya faces an urgent and growing public health crisis, with tobacco use contributing to approximately 12,000 deaths annually, while thousands more suffer from tobacco-related illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic respiratory conditions.
Despite significant global progress in tobacco control, the rising use of new nicotine products among young people threatens to reverse these gains, as products such as e-cigarettes, including vapes, and nicotine pouches become increasingly popular among youth, exposing a new generation to diseases such as addiction and even death.
Tobacco use remains one of the leading preventable causes of death and disease worldwide, and Kenya is no exception. According to the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) Study (2022), tobacco use contributes to approximately 12,000 deaths annually in Kenya. Beyond the loss of life, tobacco use also increases healthcare costs and reduces productivity, placing a significant burden on families, communities, the healthcare system, and the national economy.
Particularly concerning is the high burden of tobacco and nicotine use among young people in Kenya. According to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) 2024 study on the Status of Drugs and Substance Use among University Students in Kenya, 12% of university students currently use tobacco products, while 5.8% use e-cigarettes such as vapes and 4.6% use nicotine pouches.
The study highlights the growing popularity of emerging nicotine products among youth, driven largely by flavoured products, attractive packaging, aggressive online marketing and social media promotion that specifically appeal to young people.
The tobacco and nicotine industry is increasingly targeting young people in Kenya through sophisticated digital marketing that portrays use as fashionable, modern and socially acceptable. Social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) are widely used to promote e-cigarettes, including vapes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products.
A 2026 study by the Kenya Tobacco Industry Monitoring & Response (TIMR) Team shows that influencers, celebrities, online creators, music events, giveaways, hashtags and lifestyle branding are commonly used to attract youth. These promotions often present nicotine products as trendy or safer alternatives to cigarettes while hiding their addictive nature.
For example, short TikTok and Instagram videos featuring influencers vaping as part of “lifestyle content” help normalise use among young people who are highly active on social media and therefore more exposed to such messaging.
Young people are deliberately targeted because they are more likely to experiment with new products, become long-term consumers and influence their peers. The tobacco and nicotine industry uses youth-centered messaging, sweet flavours, colourful packaging, influencer marketing and entertainment content to normalise use and create social acceptance.
E-cigarettes (including vapes) are often designed to resemble tech gadgets, emit sweet scents like strawberry, mango, apple and come in child-appealing flavours, making them harder to recognise as harmful products and easier to use discreetly in schools, universities and social spaces.
This is the “appeal” that needs to be unmasked: addiction is being hidden behind flavours, design and marketing that make nicotine products look trendy and harmless. While often promoted under a “harm reduction” narrative, evidence from the World Health Organization shows that most e-cigarettes still contain addictive nicotine and pose health risks, especially to adolescents whose brains are still developing.
Nicotine addiction affects concentration, learning, mood, memory and mental health and for students and young professionals, this can harm academic performance, wellbeing and productivity. Protecting young people, therefore requires stronger regulation of online marketing, tighter control of product design and flavors, and sustained public education to counter industry influence.
Protecting young people from tobacco and nicotine addiction requires decisive action from policymakers. This includes fast-tracking the Tobacco Control Amendment Bill to strengthen legal protections for youth and regulate emerging nicotine products. It also requires stricter enforcement of existing tobacco control laws and sustained investment in public awareness campaigns to reduce uptake and exposure.
Evidence shows that increased tobacco taxation is one of the most effective measures for reducing consumption and these revenues should be reinvested into tobacco control efforts. Finally, policymakers must uphold Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference and ensure decisions prioritise health over commercial interests. Through coordinated action across all sectors, Kenya can better protect its young population from addiction, disease and the lifelong consequences of tobacco and nicotine use.
Kenya has made important commitments under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), but more action is needed to address the rapidly changing nicotine landscape. Sustained investment in prevention and awareness campaigns can help counter misleading industry narratives and empower young people to make informed decisions about their health.
World No Tobacco Day 2026 serves as a reminder that the health and future of Kenya’s youth must remain a national priority. Preventing tobacco and nicotine addiction today will help reduce future cases of non-communicable diseases, protect the country’s productivity and save thousands of lives.
The time to act is now. The tobacco industry is moving fast, and while action is delayed, emerging nicotine products are already entering schools, homes, and communities disguised as harmless lifestyle items.
Kenya must urgently strengthen tobacco control efforts and unmask the appeal of these products before more young people are drawn into addiction. Without decisive action, an entire generation risks being normalised into nicotine use instead of being protected from it.
The writer is M & E Officer at the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA)
