BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: The Kenya Tobacco Control Act (2007) established a Tobacco Control Fund (TCF) whose sources of funds include a solatium compensatory contribution by the industry. This provision is further elaborated in the Tobacco Control Regulations (2014), setting out the uses of the Fund, which aim to ensure sustainable domestic funding for tobacco control programmes in the country, such as cessation, public awareness and research. However, the operationalisation of the Fund was marred with challenges including the lack of a clear policy and legislative framework and industry inference through litigation. To address these issues, the International Institute for Legislative Affairs implemented an advocacy campaign for the operationalisation of the Fund.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: An evidence-based advocacy campaign was designed in response to the issues. This included a comparative analysis of tobacco control and health funds in other countries as well as legislative analysis of other funds in Kenya to draw lessons, best practices and an understanding of the national funds' management pathways to provide recommendations for operationalising the Fund, which included the need to develop stand-alone and comprehensive regulations for the Fund. The report was presented to the Tobacco Control Board and advocacy materials including a policy brief, information sheets and social media messages developed from it and used to engage policymakers and parliamentarians.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: The advocacy created an urgency and prioritisation of the agenda, leading to the drafting of the TCF Regulations 2020 for operationalising the Fund. The analysis report and advocacy materials were an effective strategy that provided evidence for the advocacy. The TCF has recently been set up and is being implemented.
CONCLUSIONS: Evidence-based advocacy is effective as demonstrated in this case, where it contributed to a sustainable funding mechanism for tobacco control programmes in Kenya. Also, Civil Society Organisations are key actors in driving policy change and sustainability in public health interventions​.