Women aged between 15 to 49 years in Marsabit, Turkana, Mombasa, and Samburu Counties are the biggest consumers of tobacco products in the country.
The Kenya Demographic & Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on Tuesday revealed that whilst the number of women who used tobacco products in the country accounted for 1.3 percent those in Mandera accounted for 5.7 percent, Turkana (4.7) Mombasa (2.3 percent) and Samburu (2.2) percent.
The KNBS Director General George Obudho sounded the alarm stating that the number of women in these counties, stating that it was disconcerting that women in the north were consuming tobacco products at such an alarming rate.
Women who use any type of tobacco, inclusive of those who snuff it through the nose and mouth as well as those who take any type of smokeless tobacco s at 1.3 percent while the number of men stood at 12.4 percent.
Women who consumed tobacco products in Mandera County are at 5.7 percent while those in Turkana County, four percent consumed cigarettes, while 4.7 percent said they used any type of tobacco.
The data was collected from a total of 16,716 women sampled versus 13,652 men in the country.
