http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/uganda.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1319016/-/b1bx2xz/-/index.html http://tobacco.org/news/333191.html Continental Tobacco Uganda Ltd offices in Arua have closed amid allegations that the company owes farmers at least Shs5 billion. According to Mr Caleb Kamure, a resident of Arua, “the money is payment for tobacco supplied by farmers in the two regions to the tobacco company from last year.” He explained that last year, Continental offered high prices for tobacco as compared to its competitors, British American Tobacco and Leaf & Commodities (U) Ltd. Duped? “This lured very many farmers into selling their tobacco to the Kenya-headquartered company. But after paying a very small amount of what they owed the farmers, the company failed to pay the balance,” Mr Kamure said. Monitor online@ug.nationmedia.com (Sarah Tumwebaze ) Uganda Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/-/806314/1312016/-/11bqvwa/-/index.html http://tobacco.org/news/332494.html I have noted that public smoking is common in Kampala. I wish to applaud Ugandans who desist from cigarette smoking. Although just 18 per cent of our adult population is said to smoke, the actual population at risk of secondhand smoke might be double or even triple this figure. . . . Ugandans must take necessary steps to avoid secondhand smoking. The Government, through relevant ministries, should pronounce itself on the long awaited enforcement of National Environment Control of Smoking in Public Places Regulations in order to protect millions of Ugandans from the health hazards of cigarette toxins. Monitor online@ug.nationmedia.com ( Denis Bwesigye Akankunda, Doctor of Public Health candidate at State University of New York, USA) Uganda Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/business/mps-warn-continental-tobacco-over-failure-to-pay-farmers/23512.aspx http://tobacco.org/news/332308.html Members of parliament on Agriculture , fishers and animal industry warned the managers of continental tobacco Uganda limited that if the company doesn't pay farmers money worth 23.6 billion shillings soon the company will be forced to close operations in the country. Addressing the press at the premises of the company during a tour today the woman member of parliament for Ibanda district Mary Kiboijana said that many tobacco farmers from Kibale have not been paid their money for last year. MPs also noted some tobacco farmers have been blocked from accessing the weighing scales by the agents so that these tobacco farmers do not know how much they own on their receipts. The committee however expressed concern over the way the continental tobacco Uganda limited hidden their office location from the tobacco farmer whom they owe money UGPulse news@ultimatemediaconsult.com Uganda Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1303420/-/b22jpqz/-/ http://tobacco.org/news/331856.html In Summary Economic melt down. Farmers say they have not been paid since 2009 but the company directors say the economic melt down has delayed the process. Lawmakers on the Agriculture Committee yesterday ordered police to detain two investors whom they accused of cheating tobacco farmers in the country. More than 10,000 tobacco farmers are demanding Shs23.6 billion from Continental Tobacco (U) Ltd, a private company run by Kenyan investors. However, the company directors, who appeared before the committee to explain why they had not paid farmers, blamed the default on the “difficult” economic situation and promised to pay when the situation gets better. “We are concerned that farmers have not received their money in billions yet they supplied tobacco to this company,” Mr Kasiriivu Atwoki, the committee chairperson, said. Monitor online@ug.nationmedia.com (Yasiin Mugerwa ) Uganda Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.independent.co.ug/column/comment/5068-tobacco-to-kill-one-billion-people http://tobacco.org/news/331477.html The Tobacco diseases epidemic is already with us in Africa’’ says Prof Peter Odhiambo, Chairman of Kenya Tobacco Control Board. ‘’Soon you will hear people announcing that the epidemic is coming to Africa. It is already here. I treat the victims of tobacco every day.’’ He was speaking in Kampala on Nov. 1 at a public lecture entitled ‘The journey from the Farm to the Lungs: Who gains from Tobacco in Africa?’ at the inauguration of the new regional Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) to be hosted by Uganda. . . . In a study conducted at Mulago, Uganda’s national referral hospital, 75% of patients with oral cancer had a history of smoking, with the number of years of smoking ranging from 2-33 years, according to a 2008 study report by Fredrick Musoke of Makerere University Kampala. Almost a quarter of Ugandan males (22%) aged between 15 and 49% are smokers while 4% of females are smokers, according to the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey. Exposure to second hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease by 25-30% and the lung cancer risk by 20-30%. . . . In August, British American Tobacco (BAT) Uganda, announced that cigarette sales had gone up by 29% in Uganda compared to a similar period in 2010. BAT argues that tobacco is a leading tax revenue payer and that the livelihoods of 600,000 tobacco farmers, particularly in Arua District in the West Nile region, where BAT runs an out-growers programme, depend on it. BAT also argues that it is an important export for the country. . . . According to Rachel Kitonyo, a Kenyan working with the Africa Tobacco Control Consortium based in Lome in Togo, Uganda is out of step with other East African countries Tanzania and Kenya which passed a tobacco control law in 2007. Uganda is yet to pass a tobacco control law although a Bill has been in the works for the past few years with a draft announced in 2010. The Ugandan parliament is now set to discuss the Bill. The resurrection of the Bill was disclosed on November 1, 2011 The Independent Uganda Africa Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1289026/-/bg3vilz/-/ http://tobacco.org/news/330449.html Parliament yesterday okayed the tabling of the Tobacco Control Bill, 2011, which seeks to control tobacco use and protect Ugandans from the detrimental effects of the plant. The Private Members Bill, tabled by Chris Baryomunsi (Kinkiizi East), and seconded by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati, seeks to regulate the manufacturing, selling, advertising, distribution, promotion, and consumption of tobacco products in Uganda. Mr Baryomunsi said smoking, not only affects the smokers, but also makes passive smokers vulnerable to lung cancer since it impairs the functioning of their lungs. “Smokers expose passive-smokers to a 25 per cent to 30 per cent greater risk of heart disease and lung cancer. Parliament has a duty to ensure all Ugandans live in healthy environs,” said Mr Baryomunsi. Faulty past laws He added that the Tobacco Control and Marketing Act of 1967 had not ensured Uganda met its obligations as provided in the 2002 Convention on Tobacco Control to protect the health of all individuals. Monitor online@ug.nationmedia.com (NELSON WESONGA ) Uganda Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16222:if-you-fear-aids-fear-tobacco-even-more-&catid=37:guest-writers&Itemid=66 http://tobacco.org/news/330104.html “The tobacco diseases epidemic is already with us in Africa,” says Prof Peter Odhiambo, chairman of the Kenya Tobacco Control Board. “I treat the victims of tobacco everyday.” Prof Odhiambo was speaking at Kampala Serena hotel on November 1, 2011, at a public lecture titled, ‘The Journey from the Farm to the Lungs: Who gains from Tobacco in Africa?’ Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the world today. Tobacco use claims more lives globally than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unless urgent action is taken, tobacco could kill one billion people during this century. WHO data also shows that in comparison to HIV/AIDS which claimed three million lives globally last year, tobacco deaths were nearly six million cases. It is estimated that by 2030 tobacco-related illnesses will be the leading cause of death in the world and 70-80% of these deaths will occur in low-income countries. . . . However, the threat posed by second-hand smoking is said to affect almost a half of all youths in Uganda and is a much more mainstream public health threat in Uganda. Exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease by 25-30% and the lung cancer risk by 20-30%. Smoking has been banned in public places, including in bars and restaurants, in Uganda since 2004, although enforcement is still a challenge. The Ugandan tobacco industry argues that tobacco is economically important to Uganda given that the industry is a leading taxpayer. “It is not the tobacco companies which pay tobacco taxes; it is the smokers,’’ counters Dr Sheila Ndyanabangi, who argues that taxes on tobacco are simply passed on to consumers and that the healthcare costs of treating tobacco-related diseases far outweigh the economic benefits of the tobacco industry. According to Rachel Kitonyo of The Africa Tobacco Control Consortium, Uganda is out of step with other East African countries such as Tanzania and Kenya which passed a tobacco control law in 2007. The Observer Uganda Africa Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Health Living/-/689846/1274922/-/ma8w0sz/-/index.html http://tobacco.org/news/328911.html Mr Ahmed Ouma, a doctor and the WHO Africa region advisor on tobacco control, says one of the effects of the chemicals in tobacco is that they reduce the blood flow to a particular area because the blood vessels keep on tightening as one is exposed to tobacco. “Denial of blood to that area, will automatically lead to that part’s death,” he says. “Of course, if the place is not well aerated, it is susceptible to infection. The long term infection is cancer,” Ouma says. This was at the launch of the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa at Kampala Serena Hotel on November 3, with the theme, “The journey from the farm to the lungs; who gains from tobacco.” Ouma went on to say that any part of body can suffer from these effects of tobacco, including the respiratory system, mouth, the brain, sperms, skin and brain. Monitor Uganda Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1269382/-/bhbvsnz/-/index.html http://tobacco.org/news/328910.html Former Tororo Town Council Mayor Paul Sande Emolot, who was arrested in possession of alleged smuggled cigarettes, has been remanded to Luzira Prison after he was committed to the High Court for trial. Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court presided over by Mr Charles Sserubuga remanded Mr Emolot together with his co-accused Mr Swaibu Buyinza, a truck driver, and Mr Joshua Muyanja, a turnboy. They were charged with smuggling and being in possession of 581 cartons of Supermatch cigarettes from which URA would have collected Shs204 million. Monitor online@ug.nationmedia.com (EPHRAIM KASOZI & JULIET KIGONGO) Uganda Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1266072/-/bhe25fz/-/index.html http://tobacco.org/news/328296.html Youngsters who smoke might soon suffer from cancers, heart attack and other diseases because tobacco is a major cause of ill-health, the Ministry of Health has warned. A report from the Ministry shows that there is an increase in smoking among the youth and that nicotine in tobacco shortens the users’ lifespan by 14 years. Health Minister Christine Ondoa said there is need to protect the youth through a joint action to control tobacco use nationwide. “No country can afford the luxury of sending mixed signals to the population on a matter that affects a huge portion of the population like that of tobacco,” she said at the launch of the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) in Wakiso District on Tuesday. The facility based at Kasangati Health Centre will serve five countries in the Great Lakes region and is aimed at campaigning for reduction of tobacco use by supporting governments in implementing tobacco control strategies in Africa. “Africa is at an early stage of the tobacco epidemic with the prevalence of tobacco smoking among the youth ranging from 8 to 43 per cent for boys and 5 to 30 per cent for girls,” a study by CTCA indicates. Monitor online@ug.nationmedia.com (Betty Ndagire) Uganda Africa Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://allafrica.com/stories/201110031485.html http://tobacco.org/news/327339.html The district authorities and non-governmental organisations in Masindi and Kiryandongo are struggling to contain the rising number of child labourers. Masindi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) David Matovu said they have intensified efforts to combat child labour, which is especially rampant in tobacco farms in the two districts. "This is a war that we have started and we must emerge as winners. This is a long-term development to liberate children," Maj. Matovu said during a graduation ceremony for child rights activists trained under the Child Labour Elimination Advocacy Network (CLEAN), in Masindi last week. The training was facilitated by Platform for Labour Action (PLA). Education hindered According to the authorities, the increase in child labour in the two district has led to a rise in absenteeism of pupils from schools and poor academic performance. "Of the 1,900 pupils we have in this school, only 1,500 attend lessons on a daily basis. All-Africa.com Uganda Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.aei.org/article/104242 http://tobacco.org/news/327106.html But there may well be wry smiles among some of Africa's farmers who were recently subject to far more unfair action from Europe. Four years ago Uganda's Department of Health, supported financially by the US President's Malaria Initiative, began spraying the insecticide DDT to combat malaria mosquitoes. Thousands of Uganda's children die every year from this fatal disease and spraying small amounts of DDT indoors can help prevent the mosquitoes from biting. The initiative was an immediate success but it was terminated because local farmers were worried that their exports, particularly their exports of tobacco, would be rejected by EU for having detectable DDT traces. Everyone knows that the EU's agricultural subsidy policies are absurd, leading to over-production and inefficiency. To make these inefficiencies less obvious, regulators limit competition by imposing strict limits on allowable pesticide concentrations, most of which make no scientific sense. EU trade rules allow maximum residues of DDT on produce of 0.05 mg/kg. There is no scientific basis for such a low limit. DDT is not sprayed outdoors on or near crops. But, in Uganda, smallholder farmers store their produce in sacks inside dwellings that may have been sprayed with DDT. In such instances it is likely that trace amounts of DDT will find their way on to products. And the evidence from products ranging from coffee to tobacco shows tiny concentrations were indeed found when products were stored in houses sprayed with DDT. But what is laughable about the EU's DDT residue limit is that the coffee and tobacco DDT was found on are hundreds of times more carcinogenic than DDT itself. Smoking is a known cause of cancer and there are 19 identified carcinogens in coffee. Yet tobacco buyers, including British American Tobacco, supported the farmers' assertion that DDT use would damage trade. They conveniently ignored the carcinogens in their products to argue that DDT should not be used. American Enterprise Institute Uganda Europe Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE77L08S20110822 http://tobacco.org/news/325341.html British American Tobacco Uganda (BATU) warned its second-half profit would suffer from higher taxes and a weak shilling after a drop in cigarette smuggling helped it more than double profit in the first six months of the year. "The second half of the year will be impacted by the recent increase in cigarette excise taxes, the weakening of the Uganda shilling and the impact of drought in some of our leaf-growing areas," the company said in a statement published in the Daily Monitor. The biggest tobacco producer and exporter in east Africa's third largest economy, BATU said it earned a profit of 7.7 billion shillings from January to June, up from 3.4 billion shillings in the first six months of 2010, according to results published in the local media on Monday. Reuters Uganda Mon, 22 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://allafrica.com/stories/201108080565.html http://tobacco.org/news/324622.html District leaders have asked British American Tobacco Uganda (BATU) to pay its out-growers through SACCOs to reduce crime and domestic violence. Rukungiri district vice-chairperson Hellen Kabajungu said BATU's inability to pay farmers through banks was fuelling domestic violence. She made the remarks during a recent stakeholders' meeting organised by BATU at Savana Resort Hotel in the North Kigezi tobacco growing zone. The zone covers Kanungu and Rukungiri districts. All-Africa.com Uganda Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://allafrica.com/stories/201107111469.html http://tobacco.org/news/323316.html MANY tobacco products have in recent times slipped into the Ugandan market. According to a report on tobacco control in Uganda by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation, smokeless tobacco is becoming a trend, especially among the youth since it is cheap and easy to hide. Dr. Jagdish Kaur, the adviser, World Health Organisation, says most smokeless tobacco products are packaged in the form of sweets. The WHO global treaty on tobacco which Uganda subscribes to, stipulates that the demand and supply of tobacco be regulated in the form of media campaigns, laws banning public smoking, and intensive messaging against the consumption of all tobacco products, not just cigarettes. All-Africa.com Uganda Sun, 10 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT