On September 29th, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI)’s local partners across the East African Community (EAC) region joined the globe in commemorating World Heart Day, a moment to focus on heart health and policy action. This year’s theme, “Use Heart, Know Heart,” urged individuals to take charge of their heart health while pressing leaders to prioritize cardiovascular issues through concrete policy measures. Partners in the region used the day to spotlight the dangers of industrially produced trans fats and advocate for urgent regulatory action, both nationally and regionally.
Industrially produced trans fats, commonly found in processed foods like fried items, margarine and commercial baked goods, are a major culprit in clogged, narrow and hardened arteries, leading to high blood pressure, higher risks of heart diseases and general poor health. Shockingly, industrially produced trans fats contribute to the death of 278,000 people globally each year—roughly one person every two minutes. The solution is simple: the most effective way to reduce industrially produced trans fats in the food supply is through best practice legal framework.
In Kenya, the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA) led the charge with a compelling article calling for urgent regulation of industrially produced trans fats within the national food supply. The article, widely disseminated in credible print and radio outlets, made a strong case for limiting industrially produced trans fats in Kenya’s food supply to less than two percent of total fats. Researchers estimated that this regulation could save 2,000 lives and prevent 17,000 cases of heart disease over the first ten years. IILA also launched the #HeartHealthChampionKE digital campaign, which shared powerful personal stories from heart health champions of the #TransFatFreeKenya movement, many of whom are public health advocates, media professionals and digital advocates. Through these testimonies, they educated the public about the dangers of trans fats and drove home the message of needed regulatory frameworks. The campaign made a powerful impact with over 1000 posts across multiple platforms, reached over 200,000 people, and generated over 6 million impressions. These numbers reflect the passion and commitment of champions to raise awareness about heart health and advocate for swift, impactful regulatory action in Kenya and in the East African region.
Similarly, the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA) commemorated the event with a press conference in collaboration with the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, pushing for urgent regulatory action to eliminate industrially produced trans fats in Tanzania’s food supply. A dedicated live audio conversation on X (X Space) built on this momentum, featuring discussions calling for national and regional policies to eliminate or limit trans fats. TAWLA’s collective actions reached almost 13.5 million people across the EAC region, helping shift the narrative around industrially produced trans fats’ contributions to heart disease and the need for government to put regulations in place to protect its citizens’ health.
In Uganda, the Uganda National Health Consumer Organization (UNHCO) held an X Space meeting titled "Why Uganda Urgently Needs a Law Regulating Trans Fatty Acids." With 70 participants, the event underscored the need for swift government action on industrially produced trans fats regulation. Civil society organizations and the Ministry of Health have already jointly developed a draft regulation, but the event amplified advocates’ efforts to fast-track its implementation. Discussants agreed national legislation does not operate alone; rather, an effective regulation in Uganda must account for the EAC’s status as a unified market bloc, ensuring consistency across all Partner States.
The collective actions of GHAI’s partners across the EAC region show a unified commitment to reducing industrially produced trans fats consumption and promoting healthier hearts through effective policy change.
