Anti-tobacco law beginning to pinch, hoteliers say

KAMPALA- Just a month after President Museveni signed the Tobacco Control Bill into law, hoteliers are saying they are paying a much bigger cost rather than the smokers—people whom that law should be targeting.

According to them, some sections of the rules will have significant financial implications on their businesses.

Speaking in an interview, Uganda Hotels Owners’ Association executive director Jean Byamugisha said as key stakeholders, they were not consulted.

She said: “We were not consulted and it is definitely going to affect us. We already have smoking zones but the 50 metres away rule from the premises has financial implications.”

She continued: “Very few hotels can afford to effect the 50 metre rule reservation and the rest because it requires hotels to have extensive space to allow their clients to express their smoking right freely.

Although the legislation is already an Act, Ms Byamugisha said they will continue lobbying government to amend sections of the law.

She said the regulation, which requires that smokers enjoy their cigarettes 50 metres away from places like hotels and any public place, will compel tourists into avoiding Uganda.

Lead killer
According to World Health Organisation, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the world accounting for over 5.2m deaths per year, which is more than the death toll due to malaria, HIV/Aids and tuberclosisis combined.

Abbout the law
The Tobacco Control Act, 2015 criminalises buying a stick of cigarette in favour of a packet of 20 sticks cigarettes.
The justification for this is to make it hard for children to access or afford it.
It is also illegal for a person below the age of 21 to access cigarettes although according to the Constitution, 18 years is the recognised age for an adult.

The same law further makes it unlawful to sell or operate tobacco-related products or smoke a cigarette within 50 metres from any public facility.

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