Kenya: Town council bans smoking in public places

(SomaliNet) In the latest crackdown on smokers, the Mombasa municipal council has banned cigarette smoking in public places to protect non-smokers and prevent littering.

The council’s environment committee chairman, Mr. Said Mathias announced the new measures on Thursday.

The council had also banned unregulated disposal of litter, prostitution and preaching by both Christian and Muslims in recreational parks.

“We are also going to round-up all street children and families and take them to their homes and ensure those chewing miraa observe the council’s by-laws on hygiene.”

Mr Mathias, who was addressing a news conference at Town Hall, said the council would apply its by-laws to enforce the new measures.

“Most of the by-laws concerning the issues we have spelt out have been in our statute books since the 1960s but they were not being enforced.

“But we are going to enforce them forthwith to make Mombasa a town clean,” he said.

The council seems to have taken cue from Nakuru which banned smoking in public places three months ago.

However, a section of councillors among them Mr Kennedy Muthini, (Tudor Estate) and Johnstone Pole (Bamburi) said most of the changes announced by Mr Mathias had not been discussed and ratified by the council.

“The council is governed by resolutions. He cannot just wake up and announce major policy changes in a council operations without following laid down procedures,” Mr Pole said. -Nation