Uganda is also a signatory of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), which provides countries with evidence-based strategies to address the tobacco epidemic in the national context. 

Despite passing what is considered by many as a landmark law on tobacco control in the world (The Tobacco Control Act, 2015 for Uganda), and the minister of health subsequently publishing the tobacco control regulations, the prevalence of tobacco use is projected to rise (WHO 2020) and tobacco users in Uganda spent more than sh 1000 daily on purchasing manufactured cigarettes.   

Globally, tobacco kills half of its users, annually about 8,000,000 people die of tobacco-related diseases across the globe, with 7,200,000 deaths directly related to tobacco use and 1,200,000 deaths as a result of exposure to second-hand smoke. 

Over 80% of the 1.3 billion world tobacco users live in low-and-middle-income countries, according to WHO, 2020. 

As of August 31, 2017, an estimated 7.9% of Ugandans aged 15+ years used tobacco products, the majority (11.6%) are men and 4.6% are women. 

About 5.8% of adults smoke tobacco and 2.4% use smokeless tobacco (CFTK, 2017). 

These statistics represent a reduction in tobacco use in Uganda, compared to 2016 when adult smokers in the same age bracket were estimated to use tobacco products at 9.2% and 2.9% of them using smokeless tobacco (Kabwama et al., 2016). 

2018 WHO Global Report on Trends in the prevalence of tobacco smoking 2005-2025, estimates an increasing prevalence of smoking among adults in Uganda to be 12.9% in men and 0.6% among women. 

Though the 2020 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index by the STOP initiative ranked Uganda as the 3rd country out of 57 with the least industry interference, there is growing concern about tobacco use and addiction with the prevalence of tobacco use in Uganda estimated at 1 in every 10 Ugandans (Kabwama et al.,2016), one year later after passing the Tobacco Control Act 2015, Uganda. 

 Evidence of data analysed from a Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2015 dataset for Uganda reveals that 34.3% (95% CI: 17.2-56.7) of adult smokers in Uganda aged 18+ years spent sh1000 on manufactured cigarettes, 41 percent (CI 34.3-42.7) of these smokers were highly addicted to tobacco use. 

Tobacco addicts in Uganda are unemployed and most of them never completed Ordinary Level of education. 

Vulnerability to smoking was associated with noticing advertisements and promotions in tobacco stores with a likelihood of such smokers getting addicted (AOR= 2.800 95% CI: 1.117-7.016) and spending sh1000 per day (AOR=2.278 95% CI: 1.150-4.513, P <0.000). 

The policy implications would be stifling up all efforts of the tobacco industry aimed at increasing the demand for the consumption of tobacco and its products, suppress the supply chain of tobacco and its products to the population in Uganda; and make efforts towards full-force implementation of the Tobacco Control Act 2015, Uganda to protect the environment from the effects of tobacco production and exposure to second-hand smoke. 

 Noticing advertisements and promotions on tobacco is a precursor to spending on tobacco and accelerates addiction to tobacco use. 

It is recommended that the ban on tobacco advertisement promotions and sponsorship (TAPS) should continue as per the Tobacco Control Act 2015, and the Ministry of Health in Uganda should adopt cessation services in primary health care clinics to encourage smokers to quit tobacco use. 

Advocating for taxation of tobacco products to reduce consumption are equally required.    

 About the Author: 

Dr. Taddeo Rusoke (Ph.D.) is a Research Fellow of Tobacco Control at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Pretoria South Africa & a Lecturer of Conservation Studies at Nkumba University Uganda.