Kenya: BAT Study Puts Annual Losses From Illegal Cigarette Trade At Sh10.2bn

Kenya: BAT Study Puts Annual Losses From Illegal Cigarette Trade At Sh10.2bn

Nairobi -- Kenya is losing an estimated Sh10.2 billion annually in excise duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue to illicit cigarette trading, with nearly one in every two cigarettes consumed in the country escaping taxation, according to a new industry study.

BAT Kenya Study Finds $78M in Tax Losses from Illicits - Tobacco Reporter

Uganda was identified as the leading source of illicit cigarettes entering Kenya, followed by Tanzania and South Sudan. The post BAT Kenya Study Finds $78M in Tax Losses from Illicits first appeared on Tobacco Reporter.

Nearly half of cigarettes sold in Kenya are illegal

A study revealed that Kenya’s total cigarette market volume stood at about 4.24 billion sticks as of 2025, with the legal businesses paying duty controlling a 55 percent stake, which is a drop...

Kenya Loses KSh47 Billion to Illicit Cigarette Trade in Five Years

Kenya lost an estimated Sh47 billion in excise duty and VAT revenue between 2021 and 2025 due to the illicit cigarette trade, according to a new study by global market research firm Kantar commissioned by BAT Kenya. The study estimates that illicit cigarettes accounted for 45.1% of total cigarette consumption in Kenya in 2025, meaning [...]

Illicit cigarette trade costs Kenya Sh47bn in lost tax revenue, study finds

The research estimates that the lost revenue could have funded key government programmes, including the construction of about 48,000 affordable houses, the purchase of 19 million bags of subsidised fertiliser or 12 million bags of maize.