Muranga bans smoking in public

You will now be arrested and prosecuted if found smoking in public in Murang’a County.

Through the County Executive in-Charge (CEC) of Health Joseph Mbai, the authority has issued a strong warning to smokers, insisting that the government will not tolerate non-smokers to be exposed to health issues because of secondary smoking.

Speaking to the press in Murang’a town, Mbai said that it decided to enforce the ban, under the Tobacco Act, after many cases of non-communicable diseases were reported in the county, which was attributed to tobacco smoking.

According to the CEC, his office has directed all sub-county administrators to set aside smoking zones, which smokers will be allowed to smoke from.

A section of Murang’a residents have been pleased with the latest move, which they say will come in handy in curbing rogue smokers who have become a nuisance to non-smokers.

“Smoking is leisure and should be done under someone’s privacy and not expose others to health risks,” said one resident, Nicholas Kiragu.