Kenya Restricts, South Africa Debates: What path will Africa take on smoke-free products?

Kenya and South Africa are taking different routes in their tobacco control policies, igniting fresh debate on how African nations should handle new nicotine alternatives such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and smoke-free products.

In Kenya, the government has gone for a tough regulatory approach. Authorities say the products are harmful, could hook young people, and undermine tobacco control gains.

The restrictions have been justified as a way to protect public health, but they have also drawn criticism for leaving millions of Kenyan smokers with limited choices beyond traditional cigarettes the most harmful option.

Across the border, South Africa is taking a more open approach. On 26 August 2025, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health held public hearings on the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, which advocates for strict regulation but falls short of going the full way to prohibition.

Among those who appeared before the committee was Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA), which made a strong case for harm reduction. Buhle Binta, the company’s Head of Scientific Engagement for Sub-Saharan Africa, told MPs that smoke-free alternatives, while not risk-free, expose users to significantly fewer toxic chemicals than cigarettes.

“The science is clear,” Binta said. “The best choice is always quitting tobacco and nicotine altogether. But for adults who don’t quit, switching to better alternatives can reduce the harm caused by smoking.”

Her colleague, Themba Mathebula, Director of External Affairs, pointed to international examples. Sweden, which embraced harm reduction decades ago, is now on the verge of becoming the world’s first smoke-free country defined as having smoking rates below 5%.

He argued that South Africa has an opportunity to follow suit, but only if it adopts policies that recognize less harmful alternatives as part of the solution.

Also Read: Major Step Toward a Smoke-Free Africa Takes Shape at Technovation 2025

Context: Kenya’s Tobacco Measures

Kenya has not banned tobacco completely. Instead, the government has introduced a series of strong controls in recent years, including:

Shisha ban — importation, sale, and use of water-pipe tobacco is outlawed.

Licensing suspension — in 2025, all licences for tobacco and nicotine products were temporarily suspended, requiring re-application under stricter rules.

Import restrictions — a directive halted all new imports of tobacco and nicotine products mid-2025.

Graphic warnings — new regulations mandate larger, pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs, smokeless tobacco, and emerging products.

Advertising ban — all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship are prohibited.

Public smoking restrictions — smoking is not allowed in many public places.

A Continent at the Crossroads

The contrasting approaches of Kenya and South Africa highlight a bigger question facing Africa: should governments take a hardline stance of prohibition, or adopt evidence-based harm reduction policies?

Critics often dismiss harm reduction as a tactic for tobacco companies to reinvent themselves. But the reality is sobering.

According to the World Health Organization, smoking kills more than eight million individuals globally each year.

Quit programs and public information campaigns are still effective, yet millions of smokers struggle to quit. Without safer alternatives, they have only one option left to them to continue smoking.

This is where harm reduction comes in. Experts stress that it is not a replacement for control measures or cessation efforts, but a complement to them.

Quitting remains the best option, but for those who cannot quit, regulated smoke-free products provide a less harmful alternative.

Why It Matters for Kenya

Kenya’s decision to clamp down on nicotine alternatives could have unfortunate consequences.

By pushing smokers out of regulated products, the government risks driving demand onto black markets where products are untested, unregulated, and potentially toxic.

At the same time, it limits smokers’ ability to make informed choices about their health.

If Kenya continues in this track, it may find itself out of step with global public health shifts. Countries such as the UK, New Zealand, and Sweden are already showing how harm reduction can accelerate declines in smoking rates.

South Africa’s Balancing Act

South Africa, meanwhile, is testing a middle ground. The Bill under discussion includes tough restrictions including advertising bans and age limits but also leaves room for alternatives to exist within a regulated framework.

That, supporters argue, is a far more realistic strategy in a region where tobacco use remains stubbornly high.

PMSA’s submission highlighted three requested changes:

• Comprehensive scope that brings all market products including oral nicotine pouches into the law;
• A harm-reduction strategy expressly articulated as one to complement existing tobacco-control measures;
• An approach of risk-proportionate regulation to encourage adult smokers who would otherwise persist in smoking to switch to less harmful alternatives.

The underlying idea is that cessation programs should continue to be pursued aggressively, but for those who struggle to quit, harm reduction ensures they are not left behind.

Learning from HIV: Why Harm Reduction Matters

Philip Morris South Africa drew a direct parallel with one of the continent’s greatest public health battles HIV/AIDS.

In the early 2000s, South Africa faced soaring infection rates. Instead of relying only on abstinence campaigns, the government adopted a harm-reduction approach: the ABC strategy (Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms), needle exchange programs, PrEP for sex workers, and medical male circumcision.

“These measures were controversial at first,” recalled Themba Mathebula, PMI South Africa’s Director of External Affairs. “Critics said they would encourage risky behavior. But guided by science, government pressed on and the result was millions of lives saved.”

For Mathebula, the lesson is clear: “We’ve been here before. Harm reduction works. Just as HIV prevention succeeded by meeting people where they were, tobacco policy can succeed by giving smokers safer choices rather than just a ‘quit or die’ approach.”

The Bigger Picture

For Africa, the stakes are huge. With a young population and rising smoking rates in some countries, the continent cannot afford policies that fail to reduce harm.

The question is no longer whether harm reduction works international evidence shows it does. The real challenge is whether African governments will have the political will to embrace it.

As South Africa debates and Kenya doubles down on strict controls, the rest of the continent is watching.

For millions of smokers, the difference between regulation and prohibition could literally be the difference between life and death.

Read Also: Powerful Shift Toward a Smoke-Free Future: How Media, Medicine, and Industry Are Working Together