Kenya wants to classify British American Tobacco (BAT) Kenya's nicotine pouches as tobacco products that are under the tobacco control law, reports Business Daily.

The move would impose marketing restrictions on nicotine pouches similar to those imposed on cigarettes and other tobacco products by the Tobacco Control Act, which include promotion and advertising, use in public areas and use by minors.
Last year, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe accused the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of flouting tobacco control laws when it licensed the sale of the pouches, and then demanded that the regulator submit a comprehensive report to the ministry on the criteria and circumstances that led to the registration and licensing of the product. The Ministry of Health then declared it illegal, the report said.
BAT Kenya's British parent company, BAT Plc, said it had started talks with the government to get the ban on the nicotine pouches lifted. "In Kenya, we have temporarily suspended sales due to local regulatory challenges and continue to engage with the local authorities," said BAT Plc.
As part of its global strategy, Kenya was chosen as the site for a plant to produce non-combustible nicotine pouches targeting the African market at an estimated cost of KES 2.5 billion (USD 22.64 million). The new nicotine-focused factory in Nairobi was part of the group's plan to follow the changing habits of tobacco consumers.