Kenyans Grapple with Potential Ban on Second-hand Clothing Industry

By: Dina Berliner
Produced and Edited by: Sam Campbell

Clothing Market in Kenya. Photo via uusc4all on Flickr

 As a little girl growing up in Kenya, Carol Ciku can remember looking “like a scarecrow” with oversized clothing hanging from her limbs. To afford clothes, her parents bought items two sizes larger than what fit her body, knowing “eventually you grow into it,” she said.

Nearly 30 years later, that is no longer the problem for most Kenyans, as a majority of its citizens rely on second-hand clothing imported from abroad.

However, an abundance of mitumba — a Swahili word to refer to second-hand clothing — has caused a rift between everyday people and the government.

That divide has been exacerbated by recent efforts to ban the mitumba industry altogether.

Mitumba as a lifeline

Second-hand clothing and thrift shops have gained popularity in Western culture in the past few years, even serving as the focus of the 2013 pop music hit “Thrift Shop” by American rapper Macklemore.

But what is considered to be trendy in the United States is seen as a source of income for thousands of people across East Africa.

“Mitumba tends to be good quality… if you have a mitumba shirt you will never find another shirt like that, but the new one you will find the same design, same color, so many of them,” Ben Muya, a Nairobi-based high school teacher, said. “The quality (of new clothing) has gone down and that’s why many people object to getting rid of mitumba.”

Both Muya and Ciku said mitumba also tends to be cheaper to purchase. Muya said he recently bought mitumba shirts for about 250 Kenyan shillings apiece, or the equivalent of a little more than $2; a new shirt would cost about 600 Kenyan shillings, or the equivalent of $6, he said.

“On the other hand mitumba gives the poor people an opportunity to dress well.  Mitumba has also created thousands of jobs.”

A country of more than 44 million people, Kenya has an unemployment rate of about 9 percent, according to the most recent numbers from theWorld Bank. Youth unemployment rates range from about 17 to 18 percent. Pockets of society also live in extreme poverty, as Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is home to Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa.

“We had a thriving textile industry in the ‘70s and ‘80s, which got killed by mitumba,” Sabine Huester, founder and general manager of Kiboko Leisure Wear, a Nairobi-based garment manufacturing company, said in an email. “On the other hand mitumba gives the poor people an opportunity to dress well.  Mitumba has also created thousands of jobs.”

One of the main arguments against a ban is the loss of jobs it would cause. About 35,000 people in Kenya work within the mitumba industry, Abel Kamau, liaison officer with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, said in an email. Meanwhile, domestic textiles and exports of those items both directly and indirectly employ approximately 190,000 individuals, he said.

The argument against mitumba

While mitumba has made it easier to buy quality clothes for less, many officials and manufacturers also blame it for the decline of Kenya’s textile industry. 

“I say the ban is good,” Charles Kahuthu, CEO and regional coordinator of the East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, a pro-business lobbying group, said. “I think politics will have to be put aside and we have to look at this from an economic point of view.”

Seller in second-hand clothes market in Kibera. Photo via Colin Crowley on Flickr

During the 1990s, mitumba began to pick up steam as donated clothes from places such as the U.S. flowed into the country. Organizations such as the Salvation Army receive clothes for charity and distribute those domestically before sending any excess to Africa. Once it arrives, individuals purchase the clothes in bulk and resell it for profit, according to Slate.

“When (mitumba) started accessing the Kenyan market, it was well in line with the needs in the market —  to cater for the poor in the society,” Kamau said. “It has over time provided poor Kenyans with clothing. However, back then, (mitumba) clothes were charitable donations. Fast forward, (mitumba has) been commercialized.”

The government has previously attempted to ban mitumba, according to The Daily Nation. The most recent effort was pushed back to 2018 after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta met with leaders from neighboring countries. But as time goes on, the amount of mitumba and its worth continue to grow.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the value of the industry has increased five-fold from 2006 to 2015, now totaling the equivalent of about $98.6 million. In 2015 about 110 million kilograms of second-hand clothing was imported into Kenya, up from about 48 million kilograms in 2006.

“The current manufacturing capacity cannot be able to take care of the sudden demand patterns,” Kamau said. “There is a need for a win win situation for both manufacturing and (mitumba) trade.”

Looking ahead

Ciku, a Nairobi-based administrator for the professional services firm Ernst & Young, said if mitumba is banned it would put a strain on herself financially.

“It would be a problem because, first of all, that means digging deeper into your pockets to buy clothing from the stores,” she said.“They (the government) want to (regulate mitumba) in order to revive the local industry. We agree, but the problem is the things won’t be affordable.”

Ciku and Muya also said because most people they know buy and wear mitumba, a ban would force individuals to change the way they have shopped for decades.

“The manufacturing sector should provide an alternative clothing option to the market. As of now, that is the stand of the textiles and apparels manufacturing sector,” Kamau said. “With more development of the manufacturing capacity, new and affordable clothing will be available and provide alternatives to the growing middle class.”

Ciku believes the pros and cons of mitumba are part of the reason the government has postponed a ban.

“At the end of the day, I think the advantages of the mitumba industry are much higher than the other industries here,” Ciku said. “Everyone is involved: the rich, the lower class, the upper class… it would be a big thing to actually shut it down.”

Kenya: Post-election Violence Leads to Press Censorship

By: Jane Lonsdale
Edited by: Aisha Mohammed





Some U.S. citizens often take for granted the basic freedoms afforded to us by merely being raised in the United States. The First Amendment entitles everyone in the United States the right to free speech, which is more than a privilege for media institutions across the nation. However, it is not guaranteed in some other countries, such as Kenya. Although Kenya has promulgated a right to the freedom of expression, it has experienced recent censorship and muzzle of the media due to post-election violence. This also comes in response to reports in 2007 of the intimidation of journalists by government officials and the suspicion that certain radio stations promote ethnic hatred and division. Kenya is listed as 60th in World rankings and only partly free by the Freedom House’s press freedom ratings.

In 2009, President Mwai Kibaki signed the Kenya Communications Amendment Act of 2008 into law. This was a revision from the previous act of 1998. The new law allows the government to raid media institutions and ultimately control what content is distributed to the public.

Organizations such as the Kenyan Union of Journalists were opposed to the Act, saying that it was an infringement on freedom of the press and gave the government too much authority. Tervil Okoko, a former chairman of the Kenyan Union of Journalists and now Regional Coordinator for the Eastern African Journalists Association spoke about journalism before and after the law. “Prior to this amendment, the media existed in a state of laissez-faire. There was not total disregard to ethics, but there was lesser sensitivity. Now there are standards of programs which are determined by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK).”

This Commission is a media licensing organization which regulates much of the broadcast content in the country. Okoko says that the CCK is not made up of professional journalists or editors, but rather government-appointed ministers. Prior to governmental authority, the Media Council of Kenya, which is made up of a variety of media professionals, was responsible for content and the conduct of journalists. “[The CCK] is robbing the Media Council of Kenya of its authority,” says Okoko. Many advocates against the law feel that the danger of all of this is that broadcasters are used to easily manipulate public opinion.

Some people say the Kenyan government has an influence on what is produced in the media. Kenyan native, Solomon Maingi is studying in the United States. He says he is an avid reader of Kenyan newspapers such as The Daily Nation and The Standard. Maingi says “Kenya has a very vibrant media, but the government can sometimes use the media as a political platform.” When asked what type of news is regularly featured on the front page of most newspapers, Maingi replied “politics.”

Kenya continues to provide its citizens with a wealth of information from various media outlets in the form of print, broadcast, and online resources. Despite open controversy to the media law and previous complimentary laws, Kenya still remains one of the most stable and free countries within Africa. With that being said, international journalists are still held accountable under the law when working in the country. Such stipulations that apply to international broadcasters are that no broadcast of public views on national issues can occur without a person’s consent. Anyone used for an interview must be informed and advised of the intentions and possible impact of the interview on national peace and tranquility. This also applies to live broadcasts. If these rules are not followed, journalists are subject to consequences from the government and could be criminally charged.

Photos from BBC and Internews

Somali Pirates: What This Means for Kenya

Special Report by Jane Lonsdale
Edited by Aisha Mohammed

Pirate activity has been a real threat to some coastal African countries ever since the start of the Somali Civil War. These acts of piracy can hinder efforts to deliver goods and can raise shipping costs to countries located along the coastal route through Somalia. Neighboring Kenya’s commerce and international trade has been devastated by the continued hijacking of ships by Somali’s pirates.

However, some businesses have benefited from this battle with the Somali pirates. Those involved in the Kenyan fishing industry say there appears to be an increase in the amount of fish recently. Although there has been no official explanation for this, some speculate that illegal foreign fishing vessels no longer line up along Somalia’s coast to catch all the fish, for fear of being captured and held ransom by pirates.

Fisherman Howard Lawrence Brown owns a catch and release company in Mombasa called Kenya Deep Sea Fishing. He says that he has seen “huge amounts of fish for the first time in about ten years.” Lawrence Brown has seen a sudden spike specifically in the quantity of bill fish and all types of marlin. As of recent, his business has been flourishing due to the increase in demand for sports fishing.

Not all people within Kenya benefit from these acts of piracy. There has been new concern over drastic increases in property costs within the country, making houses unaffordable for some Kenyans. Kenya and Somalia share a border, and Somalians have migrated to partake in Kenya’s vibrant investment opportunities. Many suspect that Somali pirates are moving as well, to invest laundered ransom money into Kenya’s estates. Dr. Peter Githinji, now an Ohio University professor, but born and raised in Central Province agrees that the greatest problem has to do with real estate investment. “A house that cost $20,000 a few years ago now costs almost four times that amount. A lot of people cannot afford housing.” A spokesman for Prudential Financial Group in Kenya says that their business has been personally affected as well. Property sales with the group have been low due to many people being unable to afford the high mortgage rates. Real land rates have increased by as much as 300% in the last two years alone.

Somali pirates have received nearly $100 million in ransom money over the past two years, according to a recent report by the Associated Press. Many of the pirates are leaving the conflicted country of Somalia, in hopes of establishing a more stable and luxuriant lifestyle in Kenya. A website promoting Kenyan investment promises that under the Kenyan constitution, there is a guarantee of protection of life and private property. There is also a Foreign Investment Protection Act set in place that protects against confiscation of private property by the government.

With all of these promises and hopes for future investment, many Somalis take the initiative to participate in Kenya’s opportunities. A major problem is that Kenyan government officials cannot determine where all the new investment funds are coming from. Dr. Githinji explained that there are many ordinary Somali people who create businesses within Kenya, as well as those who have earned their money through piracy ransoms. Githinji says he would like to see investments in industries versus housing, stating that this might help the Kenyan economy overall.

There is no question that there has been a significant impact on Kenya’s economy due to the actions taken by Somali pirates. The prosperity within Kenya is yet to be determined, as it continues to develop. In a country surrounded by conflict, Kenya has managed to establish some sense of stability, in hopes of creating further prospective opportunities.

Photo from United Nations University.