Caught smoking: Gendered responses to smoking in Kenya
In November 2022, a video of a woman smoking bhang in Nairobi’s Central Business District went viral across social media platforms. The internet reacted fast. What followed was an intense public debate, with content creators and the general public sharing opinions and passing judgment.
The public discourse was largely centred on the illegality of bhang (weed) in Kenya and questioned the woman’s decision to smoke in a public space. Her unbothered demeanour and lack of reaction to the public stares had people speculating on her mental state.
Within the societal, cultural, and religious frameworks in Kenya, women are generally discouraged from smoking. Because of this, people were quick to judge her morals, personal values, and character.
Historically, women’s use of tobacco is not new. From pre-colonial times to the present, in rural communities, older women used tobacco wrapped in dried banana leaves, commonly referred to as ‘Mbaki’. This Mbaki/tobacco can be smoked, chewed, or inhaled. Its widespread use was facilitated by the fact that the tobacco plant can do well in poor, parched soils, hence it is found in various parts of the country. There is a market for mbaki in Kenya’s urban areas, like Nairobi.
The digital age has significantly altered this dynamic. Social media has increased visibility and surveillance, exposing women who smoke, whether in social spaces such as clubs or private gatherings, to public scrutiny. This judgment cuts across age groups, but younger women face greater scrutiny because their lives are constantly recorded and exposed online.
A clear gender-based double standard exists. Smoking is socially tolerated among men and heavily criticised by women. The statistics may have a part to play in the broader inequalities of gender norms. In 2022, an estimated 2.51 million adults aged 15 years and above were recorded as smokers in Kenya. The vast majority of smokers were men, accounting for approximately 2.4 million, while women made up a significantly smaller proportion, with about 108,000 female smokers nationwide. Figures derived from https://tobaccoatlas.org/factsheets/kenya/
These figures highlight a pronounced gender disparity in smoking prevalence in Kenya, reflecting broader social, cultural, and behavioral patterns influencing tobacco use across the population. This disparity in numbers makes the women targets of moral failure, hence the shame in speaking out.
Patch Me If You Can seeks to amplify women’s voices and address these imbalances by providing access to accurate, evidence-based information and statistics. The project does not promote tobacco and nicotine use; it supports harm reduction practices and autonomous decision-making among women’s bodies and lives.
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