By Amos Sikaonga 
By Amos Sikaonga
Kamfinsa Member of Parliament has expressed concern over Zambia’s continued delay in enacting the Tobacco Control Bill which is designed to protect the health and well-being of citizens.
In a statement, Christopher Kangombe noted that despite ratifying the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2008, Zambia remains among the few countries in the region that have not yet domesticated this critical treaty into national law.
Mr. Kangombe stated that Zambia cannot continue to speak of commitment to public health when a life-saving Bill sits idle.
“What is most troubling is that the Tobacco Control Bill has been prepared and ready for over 10 years following an inclusive and consultative process,” Mr. Kangombe said.
“A law belongs to the people and it must not remain hidden in filing cabinets while lives are lost every day.”
Mr. Kangombe stressed that Tobacco consumption in Zambia has reached alarming levels which requires urgent attention.
He explained that according to the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, 14.2 percent of adults and 11.4 percent of youth in Zambia use tobacco products, translating into over 7,000 preventable deaths each year due to tobacco-related illnesses such as cancer, stroke, heart disease, and respiratory complications.
“These are not just statistics, they represent real lives, real families, and a health system struggling under the weight of preventable disease. Our current legal and policy environment lacks the tools to adequately address this crisis.”
“While some argue that tobacco contributes to jobs and taxes, we must ask the question, at what cost? The economic burden of treating tobacco-related diseases, the productivity lost, and the lives cut short outweigh any financial benefit of tobacco,” he stressed.
He said true investment lies in safeguarding lives and ensuring that future generations are not burdened by illness and addiction.
According to Mr. Kangombe, existing laws are outdated, poorly enforced, or insufficient to protect citizens, especially young people who are exposed to aggressive marketing tactics by the tobacco industry.
He observed that the absence of a comprehensive legal framework has left the door open for public smoking, unchecked advertising and sponsorship, and easy access to tobacco products, particularly by minors.
“The Tobacco Control Bill is not radical, it proposes evidence-based measures that are already saving lives around the world such as banning smoking in enclosed public spaces, prohibiting tobacco advertising and promotion, requiring graphic health warnings on packaging, regulating points of sale, and introducing higher taxes to reduce affordability,” he explained.
“I am therefore calling on the government to bring the Bill to Parliament without further delay, and to make the document public. I am not only urging my fellow Members of Parliament to support this Bill once it is tabled, I am specifically challenging the government to take the first and most important step of bringing the Bill to Parliament and open it up to public scrutiny,” he said.
Cecilia Chiluba