Two television condom adverts and two alcohol ads have been banned for being "pornographic in nature, promoting and glamourising sex among teenagers".
The condom ads are for the brands Durex and Trust. Also banned are ads featuring East African Breweries Limited's Snapp drink and London Distillers Limited drinks. The Kenya Film and Classification Board also said it has banned an ad promoting Lux soap and another for Fresh Fry from Pwani Oil.
The Board said the adverts depict scenes intended for adult audiences and should not air during the watershed hours of 5am to 10pm.
CEO Ezekiel Mutua said advertisers and broadcasters have 14 days to comply with these bans or risk licence revocation and prosecution. Turning to the alcohol ads ban, Mutua said: "They attempt to associate drugs, alcohol, and other illegal substances with sexual prowess and, or a glamourous or successful lifestyle."
Regarding the condoms ads ban, the National Aids and Control Council, which formulates policy on HIV control in Kenya, said it was not consulted before the sanction. NACC director Nduku Kilonzo said now that she is aware of the moratorium she would engage the films Board to prevent stifling of HIV campaigns.
"We will look at the specific adverts banned to see whether they are on condom usage education or condom brand adverts. We will also look at how such advertising can be regulated without stifling the education part," she said. The National Aids and STI Control Programme, also a government agency, said it was not aware of the ban and would consult Mutua's Board.
There are fears banning condom advertising could affect HIV campaigns because condoms are the most effective, simplest and cheapest way to protect against sexually transmitted diseases. But Nacada chairman John Mututho welcomed the alcohol ads ban, saying his agency actually advised that it be done.
He said some of the drinks being advertised as "brandy" were cheap second-generation liquor banned two months ago. He said the advert by London Distillers was misleading because the company purported to own a TV station, and the drink being advertised was not even brandy.
"You cannot mix food-quality ethanol, flavour, colouring, sugar and water and call it brandy," Mututho said. London Distillers and East African Breweries promised to get back to the Star but had not done so by the time we went press. An official from Pwani Oil said managers were in a daylong meeting over the development.
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