Nairobi MCAs want Governor Johnson Sakaja to close all shisha smoking joints within the city.
According to the MCAs ,shisha is still being sold in many night clubs, despite a ban.
“We can’t just sit down and wait for our youth to waste away with this shisha substance, we will ensure this ends immediately,” Mountain View MCA Maurice Ochieng said.
The MCAs listed Westlands, Kileleshwa, Lavington, Kilimani, South C and Lang’ata as some of the areas where shisa smoking is rampant.
Also Read: CS Chelugui Says Hustler Fund Will be Active by End of November
Ochieng who is also the county assemmbly health committee chairperson said shisha has negative side effects.
“We are urging Sakaja to close down these Shisha joints,” he said.
The government banned shisha smoking in 2017.
Kenya became the fourth country in East Africa to prohibit shisha, after Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Last year, the head of the tobacco control unit in Nairobi Anthony Muthemba said enforcement of the ban had been met with a lot of resistance and interference.
He says when arrests are made during crackdowns, it takes just a few hours before the culprits are released.
Shisha smoking has been linked to lung and oral cancers, heart disease and other serious illnesses.