The World health organization is tasking Uganda to fully implement the plain packaging of all tobacco related products to ensure that consumers are totally protected and kept in the know on the dangers that come along when they continue consuming tobacco products as well as protecting the young from the habit.

According to the WHO country representative in Uganda, Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, globally branding of tobacco products has to be similar with plain packing to protect the public from danger and any company that fails to follow the rules has to definitely get out of business in those countries that have already passed the anti tobacco laws. WHO continues to confirm that over 10 million deaths are registered across the world due to tobacco related cases which can be prevented if strong and punitive measures can be taken.

Meanwhile during the launch of the anti tobacco law 2015 today, the health minister Elioda Tumwesigye, sights the importance of this new law saying it will help so much in protecting nonsmokers from pollution and contracting diseases related to tobacco as he also adds on the WHO representative’s worry about the health burden caused by tobacco product consumption.

However the state minister for health, Dr. Chris Baryomosi who was the mover of the bill before it was passed into act, raises concerns of non communicable diseases which are also brought about by smoking tobacco products noting that females and youth have also increased interest in consuming tobacco which is very much worrying for health experts.

In a related development, the focal person in the fight against tobacco usage, Dr. Shilah Ndyanabangi calls for massive sensitization of the general public on the contents of the anti tobacco law 2015 to help demystify all the myths that pro-tobacco advocates have spread.

The world today marks the anti tobacco day which has seen Uganda register another mile stone in the setting up of good laws to save many lives from contracting disease.

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Farmers under Kakumiro Tobacco Farmers’ Association through the Speaker of Kakumiro town council Barnabus Nsamba, claim Continental Tobacco Services Uganda limited did not pay them for one year for the supply of tobacco leaves and it owes them 5 billion shillings.

Nsamba said that the defaulting company only paid prominent farmers, leaving out the low income farmers suffering. The farmers told the Speaker that the agents of the Continental Tobacco also underpaid them through company agents withdrawing contract books from them. The group is bitter that their children have been discontinued from school due lack of funds, some have died without pay and others lost   their properties because of failure to service bank loans.

The affected tobacco farmers are over 3000.

The post Parliament to take legal action against Continental Tobacco for defaulting farmers first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.