Smokeless tobacco gaining popularity among Kenyan youth

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has ascribed over 8 million deaths a year to tobacco with the number projected to exceed 10 million deaths annually by 2030. About 70 percent of these deaths will be registered in developing countries according to WHO.

In Kenya, an estimated 8,100 Kenyans die of tobacco-related diseases every year. While consumption of tobacco has been declining globally, WHO data shows that 13 percent of Kenyan adults still use the stimulant.

Out of these, 9.4 percent ingest tobacco by smoking while the rest opt for varying types of smokeless tobacco products.

Smokeless tobacco products, which can be chewed, snorted or placed inside the oral cavity, are becoming quite popular among Kenyan youth.

According to the 2021 African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse report snuff,tamboo, ndovu, nicotine pouches and kamath spit tobacco were the most prevalent forms of smokeless tobacco products being used in Kenya.

While chewing tobacco like ndovu have been used by youth over the years, nicotine pouches are having somewhat of a resurgence in the local market after initially being banned by the state in October 2020.

Nicotine pouches target Kenya’s middle class, snuff or ‘chaves’ as it is referred to on the streets is gradually becoming more widely accepted by Kenyan youth.

Known for its brown or black appearance and distinct pungent smell, the drug has traditionally been native to Central Kenya counties and Kajiado but the tobacco strain is slowly becoming the go-to drug for a number of Kenyan youth owing to its affordability and longevity.

I witnessed first-hand just how prevalent its use is when, after a long day of work, I decided to stop for a shave at a random barbershop around Ngara’s Fig Tree bus station in Nairobi.

Just moments after my barber, who would later introduce himself as John (alias), began giving me a haircut, a small but noticeable queue started forming outside his business establishment.

I initially thought nothing of it until I saw John take a Ksh.20 coin from one of them before reaching into his pocket and handing the middle-aged man a brown substance wrapped in a small, clear packaging paper marked ‘Njugu Karanga’ complete with a Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) logo.

John did this continuously for the next 15 minutes or so, randomly putting my shaving on hold to attend to his other customers who left soon after receiving the product. Still unsure of what exactly was transpiring I decided to ask John.

“This is chaves; a form of tobacco,” he tells me.

I quickly ask to see a sample and he agrees to my request and the first thing that captures my eye is its distinct colour and fine appearance.

“Some place a small amount under their lips while others snort it through the nose. You get a mild head rush after. The high is more potent when you inhale it but I wouldn’t recommend that for beginners,” he says.

As we continue our conversation, John reveals to me that he is in fact an IT student who works part-time at the barbershop to earn some extra cash.

“I am just an employee here. My boss, Tito, is the biggest supplier in Ngara. I am employed as a barber but I do sell the product to anyone who passes by this establishment. Tito is a busy man whose opened many businesses across the county just from selling the product. He is rarely ever in one place for a long time owing to his busy schedule,” John says.

Efforts to reach Tito on phone proved futile.

On a good day, John says that he sells close to 400 packets of ‘chaves’ a day. At Ksh.20 a piece, this translates to Ksh.8,000 daily.

“Haven’t you noticed just how many people have come to buy it while I’ve been shaving your head? Business is booming,” he poses.

By the time John had finished shaving my head, an estimated 15 minutes by my watch, 25 men of seemingly varying ages had visited the shop and bought the product.

“It has a traditional sentimental value. Our ancestors have used it for decades when dealing with ancestral spirits and it was once reserved for the elderly but its slowly becoming more accepted," John, a Central Kenya native, says.

“Tito ships in the product in bulk directly from Mt. Kenya before packing it into smaller quantities and selling it. Some smaller traders buy a kilogram at Ksh.500 before repackaging and selling it to their own customers. A single kilogram of can make you a profit of anywhere from Ksh.2500 and Ksh.3,000 depending on how you package it. Personally, we use two tea spoons to measure our set quantity.”

When I ask John if they require a license to sell the product, he dodges the question by responding that the product is not illegal.

“If it was illegal, we wouldn’t be doing so,” he says.

As I get ready to leave, I notice a young woman approaching the barbershop before demanding for the product. She is the only woman to do so during my brief time at the barbershop.

She is initially skeptical about speaking to me once I introduce myself as a reporter but she warms up after a while.

She introduces herself as Akinyi (not real name), a 25-year-old from the nearby Mathare slums. She takes a whiff of the brown smelly substance before speaking to me, immediately becoming teary-eyed and sneezing.

“I started using when I was 17 after a friend introduced it to me when I was still in high school and I’ve been using it ever since. I buy a packet every,” she tells me.

When I ask if she thinks that the product is harmful to her health, Akinyi quickly responds by labeling my question as more of an assumption than an actual fact.

“It doesn’t affect my health at all. If it did, I would have seen the signs. Unlike other forms of commercial tobacco products,snuff does not contain additives. It is the purest form of tobacco and that makes it the safest for consumption,” she says.

Her sentiments are shared by another customer, Jack, who happens to overhear our conversation.

“Both my father and grandfather have used it for decades and they both remain in good health up to this date. It is not as bad as cigarettes,” he said.

According to the African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, all smokeless products contain nicotine; In terms of the nicotine levels, snuff was more potent followed by ndovu, tamboo and lastly nicotine pouches.

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) says that smokeless tobacco can have serious effects on a person’s health. The risks range from nicotine addiction and causing cancer of the mouth and oesophagus among others.

In women, it increases the risk of stillbirth when consumed during pregnancy and it can also cause nicotine poisoning in children.

“Many smokeless tobacco products contain cancer-causing chemicals. The most harmful chemicals are tobacco-specific nitrosamines, which form during the growing, curing, fermenting, and aging of tobacco,” reads the CDC website.

“The amount of these chemicals varies by product.1The higher the levels of these chemicals, the greater the risk for cancer.”