A total ban has been placed on waterpipe tobacco in Rwanda as of 15 December 2017, Africanews reported.

Dr. Diane Gashumba, the health minister, noted that the Ministry of Health pursued this ban in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) advisory note, Africanews reported.
Referring to the WHO advisory note, the official Rwandan public notice signed by Dr. Gashumba on 14 December states, “shisha tobacco smoking is damaging, addictive and dangerous on [sic] human lives”. The document also follows with a short list of specific health risks associated with smoking waterpipe tobacco.
The document concludes, “Accordingly, the Ministry of Health informs the general public that the use, advertisement and import of water-pipe tobacco known as shisha tobacco is banned from Rwandan territory effective from 15th December, 2017.”