[PHOTO/Standardmedia.co.ke]
The trend of shisha smoking has entered schools.
What began as a simple culture of street sophistication has been gaining popularity among the younger generation in towns and now schools have to bear with reality as the scare has sneaked into school children in Mombasa.
According to the Tobacco Control Board (TCB), proceeds from the sale of shisha could be financing criminal gangs who begin from the secondary school level.
TCB board member Somba Kivunga has said that statistics indicate over 600,000 of 2 million shisha smokers in Kenya come from Mombasa with the prevalence high among the youths.
“Mombasa is actually the third in tobacco smoking in the country. Our biggest concern is the unregulated and shisha smoking in the county,” said Dr Kivunga.
NACADA has previously warned of the emergence of the shisha hooker, a pen-like object that can be smoked in schools without being detected.
The object is electronically charged and has a refiner which can be used for smoking without anyone noticing.
According to Mombasa County Health Chief Officer Dr Khadija Shikely, there needs to be a total war on the drug as its effects are more than those of smoking cigarettes.
“One gulp of shisha is equivalent to smoking 10 sticks of cigarette. It is a health hazard that has to be eradicated immediately,” Dr Shikely said.
“The biggest concerns is that the smoking starts even in schools. And that is why we are forming a multi-sectorial team to crack down on these illegal Shisha smoking dens,” she said.