This recent portrait of leading advocate Lutgard Kagaruki in the Tanzania Daily News raises the question of the future of local tobacco control advocacy when their international funding disappears (in this case funding from the Bloomberg Initiative). The article provides no answer.
A Woman With Passion, Commitment to Fight Tobacco - AllAfrica
May 13, 2011
Finnigan Wa Simbeye
Surrounded by anti-smoking banners and photocopies of newspaper articles denouncing smoking and tobacco cultivation, Ms Lutgard Kokulinda Kagaruki has long deviated from her professional line of duty as a veterinary researcher to embark on a tough crusade against tobacco cultivation, trade and use.
In her tiny room in a modest house at the junction of Sam Nujoma and Sinza Makaburini roads in Dar es Salaam, M Kagaruki, however, is not happy by the prevailing trend.
"I don't think we are doing enough as a country to stop tobacco cultivation and cigarettes smoking even after we ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) several years ago," she said bitterly while standing up to fish out a file with information on the subject to provide further details.
Formerly working as full time Executive Secretary with the Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF) which received a grant from Bloomberg Foundation to fight smoking and help contribute to the country Tobacco Strategy and Policy in line with the convention, Ms Kagaruki is back at work at Animal Diseases Research Institute of Ministry of Water and Livestock Development.
But her passion and commitment to fight tobacco cultivation and smoking has still kept her busy with TTCF as Executive Director, working voluntarily without payment. She is all alone in a three bedroom house which the forum has been occupying since 2008 as an office. The rest of staff members, four in all, left immediately after the Bloomberg Project ended early last year.
Born in Bukoba District, Kagera region over half a century ago, Mama Kagaruki is second born in a family of eight, five boys and three girls. Educated at University of Dar es Salaam where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in 1976 before joining the prestigious London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of University of London for her Master's degree in Medical Parasitology between 1988/89.
Married with two children, one girl and a boy, Kagaruki joined the then Ministry of Agriculture in 1976 as Livestock Research Officer and Head of Entomology Section. She rose up the ranks in a traditionally male dominated discipline until her current position as Head of Parasitology Department at ADRI in Ministry of Water and Livestock Development.
Her anti-tobacco campaign work started, in earnest, in 2005 when a group of Tanzanians attending an Alliance on Framework Convention for Tobacco Control meeting, picked her as Secretary General of TTCF which was born out of the gathering in Nairobi.
TTCF members including males envy Kagaruki's magical prowess to move mountains in her effort to ensure that smoking is banned completely while impoverished tobacco farmers get support to cultivate alternative crops.
"She is an iron lady who stops at nothing when she wants something done. We made a perfect choice as ES of the Forum," said retired veteran journalist, Peter Msungu.
"I am against both tobacco cultivation and cigarettes smoking because it is a disaster to our environment and health. Tobacco cultivation causes massive deforestation annually which is putting the country on the verge of becoming a desert," she pointed out.
Tanzania ratified WHO's FCTC over three years ago but progress towards implementing legislative changes in line with the Convention are sluggish and Kagaruki is unhappy because cigarettes manufacturers are freely luring youths through palatable advertisements depicting smoking as fashionable, a symbol of success in life and belonging to a class of elites.
Mr Msungu who was the first Chairman of TTCF between 2005 and last year when he voluntarily retired the position due to age, said Kagaruki is a passionate advocate of tobacco free Tanzania who can go any distance to fight against the mighty cigarettes multinational corporations which are on the receiving end at home in the North where smoking has caused disastrous ailments.
Among Kagaruki's recruits as TTCF member is former Minister for Health and Rungwe lawmaker, Professor David Homeli Mwakyusa, who was also the first patron of the Forum. Prof Mwakyusa himself described Kagaruki as a force to reckon with in the country's anti-tobacco campaign.
"When it comes to campaigning against tobacco, she is elusive and forthright," said Prof. Mwakyusa soon after handing over the WHO award to the TTCF ED last May. WHO country office said in a statement that Kagaruki was awarded in recognition of her work on behalf the Forum which, among other things, convinced Tanzania Airports Authority to declare all its premises in the country free from cigarettes smoking.
Due to her work as TTCF ED, Kagaruki has mobilised membership of the organization form less than 20 who founded it in Nairobi, to more than 200 today and among its members are high profile politicians, businesspersons and activists.
"She is very determined and will get anybody to sign up as TTCF member under any condition," said former Vice Chairman of the Forum, Dr Ali Mzige. Dr Mzige said under Kagaruki's leadership, TTCF has grown from a little known Sinza Mapambano based non-governmental organization to an internationally recognised institution.
Among people wondering how the Forum grew so rapidly in a short period of time, is Patricia Lambert, a Washington based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Director.
"Lutgard is a wonderful woman who deserves the medal because of her commitment to fight tobacco growing and smoking," Ms Lambert wrote in a statement congratulating the TTCF ED for winning a WHO award last year.
Much of the tobacco cultivated in the country is for exports while a smaller percentage is consumed locally. TTCF research has however unveiled that due to weaknesses in 2003 Tobacco Products Regulatory Act, cigarette manufacturers are freely erecting roadside billboards depicting fresh university graduates enjoying various cigarettes brands both locally made and imported.
Experts estimate that tobacco production in Tanzania causes destruction of over 150,000 hectares of forest cover. Production of the nicotine loaded product has increased by over 90 percent from 2,701 in 1961 to 50,800 tonnes in 2008 while the area under tobacco cultivation also rose by over 80 percent from 5,261 to 36,000 ha over the same period of time.
Comments