Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria on Tuesday, November 1 said the government will ban the importation of second-hand clothes, commonly known as ‘mitumba’ once they find an alternative from the local textile industry.
While speaking at the Chamngamka Shoping Festival in Nairobi, CS Kuria noted that Kenya exports locally made fabric at a cheaper price than it imports the second-hand clothes.
The CS further stated that his ministry is focused on empowering the local textile industry.
“Whatever is required for us to sell to our people the same way we are selling to America, we will do. Once the option is available, we will do like South Africa. South Africa banned mitumba. I’m sure you want me to say that we are going to ban mitumba, yes, we will ban mitumba once we give people an alternative,” said Kuria.
Moreover, Kenya is one of the largest importers of second-hand clothes in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, while the idea of mitumba may be sound, it has always faced disapproval by many.
Furthermore, during the campaign period, President William Ruto and Raila Odinga, locked horns over each other’s comments on imported second-hand clothing.
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In his manifesto Raila Odinga blamed the country’s low-performing textile industry on an influx in mitumba. On the other hand, Ruto criticized the idea, saying Odinga’s vision for the country’s textile industry will negatively affect the second-hand clothing business.
“Trickling down is dangerous. They branded people’s merchandise counterfeit & destroyed them. Now clothing enterprises are dealers in dead-people’s wares to be banned. BOTTOM UP, using TVET will assist these enterprises grow from sewing, cottage to textile & leather industry,” said DP Ruto.
But amid the debate, some experts have argued that phasing out these mitumba to promote the manufacture and consumption of Kenyan-made clothes does not necessarily mean that domestic industries will thrive.
Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) CEO Kwame Owino in June said they had established that Kenyans do not use mitumba as an alternative to new clothes.
According to Mr. Owino, the plan is one that stifles the freedom of Kenyans. He further noted that the multi-billion-shilling industry has its own value chain and should be allowed to co-exist with the local textile sector.
“The government should try to foster the domestic cotton industry, but that should not be done by telling people that you will choose what they wear. Allow Kenyans to make the decision,” he stated then in an interview with Citizen TV.
Furthermore, Mr. Owino said banning mitumba is making unnecessary damage to other people’s jobs just because you have decided what people should wear.
According to a 2019 survey by IEA and the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya, 91.5% of households buy second-hand clothes worth Ksh.1000 and below.
As such, while the collapse of the local textile industry has translated to huge revenue losses, the mitumba industry also generates a lot of money for the State.
