NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 21 — President William Ruto has ruled out a ban on the importation of second-hand clothing (mitumba), outlining a policy of “market balance” that seeks to accommodate the trade alongside Kenya’s textile industrialisation agenda.
The pronouncement, made during a stakeholder meeting on Wednesday, signals a departure from the protectionist stance adopted by some regional neighbours and reinforces the government’s dual-track approach to the textile value chain.
Speaking on the government’s position, President Ruto acknowledged the regulatory pressure to prohibit used clothing but maintained that Kenya’s demographic and economic realities require a different approach.
“The policy of the Government of Kenya recognises that there is a segment of our nation’s citizens—and it is a significant segment—that relies on second-hand clothes,” Ruto said in remarks trasnlated from Kiswahili.
“For that reason, we must maintain a balance between the market for new clothing and the market for second-hand clothing.”
The President’s assurance to the mitumba sector comes days after the US House of Representatives, on January 14, approved the AGOA Extension Act (H.R. 6500), which now awaits Senate ratification. The extension retroactively renews the trade preference programme that grants sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market.
The renewal is critical for Kenya’s Export Processing Zones (EPZs), which exported approximately $470 million (Sh60 billion) worth of apparel to the United States in 2024.
While the AGOA framework is designed to incentivise the development of a local textile manufacturing base, President Ruto’s remarks indicate that this industrial growth will not be pursued at the expense of the mitumba trade, which employs an estimated two million Kenyans.
President Ruto’s refusal to ban mitumba contrasts with the policies of some East African Community (EAC) member states.
Rwanda, for instance, imposed a strict ban on used clothing imports in 2018, a decision that led to the suspension of its duty-free apparel benefits under AGOA by the United States.
By maintaining the “balance” outlined by the President, Kenya effectively avoids similar retaliatory trade measures from the US — which is both the primary market for Kenya’s new textile exports and the world’s largest exporter of used clothing.