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Tobacco firms lose Sh75bn to dealers in contraband 

Contraband cigarettes continue to enter Kenya through porous border points despite a promise by the government to stem the smuggling wave.

Local cigarette manufacturer Mastermind Tobacco cites Malaba, Busia, Lwakhakha, Port Victoria and Chepkube as the points at which cigarettes from Dubai and India enter the country.

The players in the illicit trade are also said to use Eldoret Airport and the Mombasa port to transport the contraband.

“Cigarettes sourced from Dubai and India find their way into the Kenyan market through the port of Mombasa,” reads the report.

Over the past year, the cigarette manufacturers have lost Sh7.5 billion in revenue due to the trade.

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