NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 28 — The Bar and Liquor Traders Association of Kenya (BAHLITA) has urged the National Assembly to ensure affected traders are included in the public participation process on the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024, warning that proposed licensing and registration requirements could raise compliance costs for small businesses.

📻 Breaking It Down

BAHLITA said traders directly involved in the sale and distribution of tobacco products should be given an opportunity to present their views before Parliament proceeds with consideration of the Bill.

“Public participation is not a favour, it is a constitutional right,” BAHLITA said, warning that excluding affected stakeholders could result in legislation disconnected from the realities faced by businesses.

The association says it represents more than 54,000 traders across the 47 counties, whose members are subject to age restrictions, licensing requirements, product controls and tax compliance obligations.

📌 What You Need to Know

BAHLITA said it supports measures aimed at protecting public health, preventing young people from accessing tobacco products and strengthening enforcement against illegal and non-compliant operators.

However, the association raised concerns over what it described as potential duplication in the proposed licensing and registration framework.

“Businesses already operating under existing national and county regulatory systems should not be subjected to multiple layers of parallel compliance obligations,” the association said.

The association warned that additional licences, fees, approvals and administrative requirements could disproportionately affect micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

“Most retailers are small businesses. Every additional licence, fee, approval process and administrative requirement increases the cost of doing business and risks pushing operators into informality,” the lobby said.

BAHLITA is instead calling for closer coordination between national and county governments through measures including integrated databases, mutual recognition of licences, information sharing and a single-window compliance system.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya