The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) officials conducted an operation on Friday night at shisha joints in Kilimani, Nairobi, where 25 people were arrested for smoking Shisha.

The officers conducted the operation on Friday night led by NACADA CEO Antony Omerikwa. 

In the operation, 117 shisha bongs containing the names of customers at a popular shisha joint were confiscated.

The joint in question had previously been closed down for selling shisha, a drug that has been banned since 2017.

Those arrested were found in small groups in various rooms within the joint smoking shisha and chewing miraa.

“What I would like to tell operators is that the law is very clear. You know what is legal and what is illegal” the CEO warned. 

Most of those arrested smoking shisha were youthful men and women in pursuit of exciting nightlife with ongoing festivities.

“In 2017, the government implemented a ban on shisha affecting both its sell and use,” the CEO added.

Omerikwa added that a multi-agency team would continue with investigations on the case to make sure that the perpetrators are brought to book

Kenya placed a total ban on the consumption and use of shisha, a water-pipe tobacco, citing health hazards associated with it. 

The then Cabinet Secretary for Health, Cleopa Mailu in a statement in December 2017 banned the import, manufacture, sell, offer to sell, use, advertisement, promotion, or distribution of Shisha in Kenya.

The World Health Organization has indicated that the smoke inhaled in a typical one-hour shisha smoking session is equal to inhaling smoke from as many as 100 cigarettes. By Cedrick Khayeka, Kenyans.co.ke