Health CS Cleopa Mailu.[Photo/the-star.co.ke]
Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Cleopa Mailu has explained the reason behind the decision to ban shisha.
In documents filed before the high court, Mailu said that shisha consumption is a gateway to uptake of other hard drugs such as heroine.
In his responses filed in court, Mailu says that he exercised his powers under Section 36(m) of the Public Health Act when he imposed the ban on importation, sale, advertisement, promotion and distribution of shisha in Kenya.
“The manufacture, importation, distribution, sale and the consumption of shisha is not licensed in Kenya,” reads the court documents.
He said the ban was not based on “biasness, unreasonable or bad faith” as alleged by the petitioners challenging his move.
Mailu says that the decision was based on the greater public interest of protecting and enforcing public health from harmful effects and practices associated with shisha consumption.“The ban is purely driven by public health interest which is the golden thread that runs through all the laws cited,” said Mailu.On his part, the Director of Medical Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr Jackson Kioko, says that shisha affects all parts of the human body particularly the vital organs such as brain, lungs, heart attacks and blockage of arteries.“Non-communicable diseases including cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, asthma, bronchitis and derangements of metabolism of fat and sugar are transmitted from one person to another through shisha smoking,” says Dr. Kioko.