Mitumba Vendors Will Sell Locally Created Clothing, Says Raila.

Raila Odinga, the Azimio presidential candidate, yesterday announced his intentions for mitumba traders, claiming that his administration will see the resuscitation of textile businesses, allowing them to market locally created goods.

Mr Odinga bemoaned that the country’s textile industry had been decimated by liberalization, which led to the importation of mitumba items, when presenting his intentions for the traders during his manifesto introduction at Nyayo stadium.

“Our people only wear garments that have been worn by individuals who have died, and they come from outside the country.” “We’re going to primary production so that our people who import mitumba may sell decent items here,” stated the ODM leader.

He stated that his administration will ensure that individuals who import mitumba will have first access to the country’s domestically created items.

“I’m saying we’re not going to put anyone out of business.” We will make certain that individuals who import mitumba have first access to market goods that will be created in this country.
Mr Odinga stated, “We will obtain the cotton, jinn it here, spin it here, and create completed items here.”

He remarked that this will provide a significant source of work for the country’s youth, the majority of whom are unemployed.

“We’ll also promote the manufacture of other goods like Blixen and cacao,” she says. In the near future, coconut will be carried to Ssese Island.

“We will also encourage the production of other items such as Blixen and cacao.” The Azimio flag-bearer stated, “Coconut is going to Ssese Island in Uganda; we will introduce it here as a cash crop and use it to create beverages here in this country.”

Mitumba sales have been rising in the country, and when the government banned the import of secondhand items in 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid-19, dealers were outraged.According to official figures, the country imported 184,555 tonnes of secondhand apparel with a value of KSh17.8 billion in 2019.

It was one of the top 20 imports in the country, reflecting how highly it is regarded in the country.
Ms Teresia Njenga, the chairperson of the Mitumba Association of Kenya, said at the time of the restriction on its imports in 2019, that there was no scientific evidence that its importation presented a public health danger.

“According to the most recent scientific advice, the importation of used clothing and shoes into Kenya offers no genuine public health concern,” she declared at the time.
She explained to reporters in July 2020 that the goods are sent “for 45 days on average” and in “sealed containers.”

“The Covid-19 virus cannot remain on an inanimate object for more than nine days, according to scientific research.” Furthermore, the World Health Organization has not barred the transfer of goods or commodities as a strategy to contain the spread of Covid-19 since March, according to Ms Njenga.