Kenya loses Ksh.47B to illicit cigarette trade in five years – study
Originally published by Citizen Digital — Read the original article →
The research conducted by global research firm Kantar estimates that illicit cigarettes accounted for 45.1 per cent of total cigarette consumption in Kenya in 2025, meaning nearly one in every two cigarettes consumed in the country was illicit.
Kenya lost an estimated Ksh47 billion in excise duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue between 2021 and 2025 due to illicit cigarette trading, with illegal products accounting for nearly half of the country’s cigarette market last year, a new study has revealed.
