Kenya imports secondhand clothes hit Sh5b in three months

Photo from Internet

Imports of secondhand clothes, popularly known as mitumba, almost doubled between July and September 2018 after Treasury reduced the duty on the products.

In what could be a blow to the revival of textile manufacturing, one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda, Kenya imported 52,648 tonnes of second-hand clothes valued at Sh5 billion.

This was an increase of 60 per cent from 32,849 tonnes of used clothing valued at Sh3.2 billion that were brought into the country in the same period in 2017.

Earlier last year, Kenya broke ranks with its East African Community (EAC) peers to reduce tariffs on imported second-hand clothes in what was seen as a strategic decision by President Kenyatta’s administration to maintain cordial relations with the United States.

In the Budget Statement, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich hinted at slapping both used textiles and footwear as a means to encourage local production.

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