Banning shisha was premature, says Balala

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala is questioning the rationale used in banning the shisha trade and the harassment of club owners saying this will hurt tourism in the country.

Mr. Balala said the ban on shisha by Health CS Cleopa Mailu was premature and cautioning against decrees.

“Government agencies cannot wake up and issue decrees disrupting businesses to show they are working,” said Mr. Balala.

“If you ban shisha, why not ban cigarettes and alcohol too then? I have a friend in Monaco that has successful shisha business and he earns an honest living off it.”

The minister, who was speaking at the Mombasa Parliamentary Committee meeting, also took issue with NEMA for what he termed as “harassment” of bar owners insisting that the authority should have given them notice.

“How do they wake up one morning and decide the noise is too much? I am not okay with it. They should have given a notice to the club owners and not harass them on a daily basis,” added the Tourism CS.

In December 27, 2017, CS Mailu banned the sale and smoking of shisha in Kenya saying that anyone found guilty of contravening the control of shisha smoking rules will be “liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh.50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both.”

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has raided several night clubs said to be flouting operation regulations. Five clubs were ordered shut.

Tags:

NEMA shisha Tourism CS Najib Balala Health CS Cleopa Mailu

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