Tobacco Control Campaigners Stage Protest along Parliament road Urging Swift Enactment of Tobacco Control Bill

The Tobacco Control Campaigners this morning [ Friday 10 November 2023] took to the streets, protesting the government's prolonged delay in passing  into law the much talked about Tobacco Control Bill.

The protesters carrying placards questioned the Ministry of Health's hesitancy in executing the Presidential directive to present the Bill to Parliament.

The peaceful protest was staged in the Capital city Lusaka along Parliament Road, strategically aiming to capture the attention of Members of Parliament, specifically Minister of Justice Mulambo Haimbe and Health Minister Sylvia Masebo.

Speaking in an interview during the protest, Centre for Trade Policy and Development-CTPD Communications Specialist, Mwaka Nyimbili, expressed disappointment with the lack of progress in the enactment process of the Bill. 

Ms Nyimbili highlighted that the government's delay in passing the bill has allowed the tobacco industry to thrive at the expense of citizens' lives. 

"The Tobacco Industry has seen an opportunity and a market where they can increase their sales of Tobacco products due to this delay in enacting the bill. If you go out in the [shopping] malls, you will realize that there has been an increase in the selling of Tobacco products. All this is because the country has no strong policies to control what is being sold on the market. The Ministry of Justice and Health need to put their houses in order to address whatever is delaying the enactment of this law because we cannot afford to continue losing about 7 thousand lives annually as well as spending 2.8 billion Kwacha in treating Tobacco-related illnesses, especially that the country is struggling with a debt burden," said Ms Nyimbili.

And Chairperson of the Zambia Media Network against Tobacco, Paxinah Phiri, accused the Tobacco Industry of meddling in the Zambian government's attempts to implement Tobacco Control measures through their corporate social responsibilities. 

She expressed her displeasure with the lack of urgency given to a law that could potentially save thousands of lives when prompt attention is given to other diseases like cholera. 

“We wonder if the government officials are aware that they are not supposed to engage in private meetings with the Tobacco Industry. Also, the Tobacco Industry has been given a lot of incentives because they are considered to be in the agriculture sector and in the end Zambia does not even benefit. So we are here because we are concerned about the number of deaths that are caused by Tobacco-related diseases,"  she said.  

Meanwhile, Evelyn Moloka, Executive Director at the Zambia Anti Alcohol and Drug Abuse Zambia, pointed out that in developed countries, tobacco consumption is decreasing due to strict laws. 

Ms. Moloka, who is also a member of the Tobacco Control Consortium of Zambia, asserted that the tobacco industry is targeting vulnerable African countries that have not yet adopted the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to conduct their business and maximize profits. 

She emphasized the need for the country to domesticate the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to mitigate the harms caused by tobacco on citizens. 

“Zambia signed the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and it is 15 years down the line but the government has not domesticated the framework,” she noted. 

Anita Kaluba, a concerned citizen also added her voice expressing worry about the surge in new tobacco products such as Shisha on the Zambian market, highlighting the increased risk to children. 

She urged the government to implement policies to regulate the sale of these products and specifying who can sell them and under what conditions. 

“We are really afraid of the negative effects of these products on our children's health, hence I as a concerned citizen turned out today just to support the Civil Society Organizations as they picket and urge the government to pass the Tobacco Control Bill,” she said. 

Students from Copper Belt University Martin Sifukwe and Gideon from Cavendish University who participated in the protest also urged the government to increase Taxation on Tobacco in order to reduce its consumption.

“You see this Tobacco is killing the youths because most of them smoke Tobacco while ignoring its health risks,” they observed.

In 2023, Zambia marks 15 years since becoming a signatory to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Despite this commitment, there's an evident lapse in crafting a comprehensive domestic Tobacco Control law.

The Tobacco control campaigners have been emphasizing that without legislation, Zambia is poised to continue losing about 7,000 lives annually to tobacco consumption, as highlighted by the World Health Organization.

But speaking when he featured on HOT-Fm’s Hot Seat Program recently, Tobacco Board of Zambia Chairperson Phil Daka dismissed reports suggesting that Zambia loses about 7,000 lives every year due to tobacco-related diseases. 

"As a country, we are not losing those lives[ about 7,000 lives]. Those are statistics that were pushed as far back as 2015 when the guard was dropped, tobacco-wise, on the global level," he refuted. 

And the Acting Executive Director of the Board, Tyndale Kasongole, also emphasized that “tobacco has been instrumental to the stability of the country’s economy."



In 2023, Zambia commemorates 15 years since becoming a signatory to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Despite this commitment, there is an evident lapse in crafting a comprehensive domestic Tobacco Control law.