Trade, Investments, and Industry Cabinet Secretary (CS) Moses Kuria has dismissed reports indicating that he plans to ban the importation of secondhand clothing commonly known as mitumba.
While speaking on Wednesday, November 2 during an interview at JKLive show on Citizen Tv, the CS said he was misquoted, stressing that he has no plan of banning mitumba but intends to augment Kenya’s manufacturing and textile industries
“This is about media distortions when I was asked this question by a journalist the other day, I told him that he was only posing the query since he wanted to report that Moses Kuria is banning mitumba and I am glad that I got that on record,” said the Trade CS.
“We were at a manufacturing event, and I was trying to bring out that Kenya needs to take the issue of local manufacturing seriously. I had just come from South Africa where I had a very good discussion with the Trade minister there and South Africa has actually banned the importation of second-hand clothes and their industry has shot up and jobs have been created as a result.” Added CS Kuria.
Moreover, the CS noted that by improving Kenya’s manufacturing sector and textile industries, clothes will be readily and affordably available. Therefore, Kenyans will choose locally made clothing over second-hand clothes which according to him are more expensive than attires Kenyans export abroad.
“Kenyan exporters sell them much cheaper than what is available here under Mitumba imports and my point is I don’t need to ban mitumba and I will not ban mitumba, but I will make mitumba not competitive.” Kuria said.
CS Kuria further stated that he will make sure people are able to buy clothes made in Kenya at cheaper prices, and eventually neglect mitumba which will then die naturally.
Also Read: We Will Ban Mitumba after Giving People and Alternative” – CS Kuria
“We in the textile industry in Kenya, have employed 50,000 people. Bangladesh, a country that we cannot call very advanced, has got 5 million people in the textile industry. By promoting manufacturing, I will create 5 million jobs within textiles and that will address our unemployment woes,” the CS said.
Furthermore, CS Kuria mentioned that he would hold talks with mitumba stakeholders in the coming week to ensure that they become part of his intended plans for the local manufacturing sector.
“I am going to meet people from the Mitumba industry. I will make them part of the value chain of locally manufactured clothes. I will get manufacturers and people who sell clothes, and I will link them together and the same people selling mitumbas will sell the locally manufactured clothes so that everybody can win,” he said.
