Many Kenyans are drawn into urban areas with the promise of job opportunities. Over the decades, the secondhand clothing industry, popularly known as Mitumba, has served as an obvious entry point.

According to the  Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya, the mitumba sector employ at least 2,000,000 Keyans directly. Given the high unemployment rate, this highlights its importance in the country’s economy.

World Bank data shows 5.7 per cent of Kenyans were unemployed in 2021, up from 2.8 per cent in 2013. The country’s unemployment rate is way ahead of that of Tanzania, which stands at 2.6 per cent, while Ethiopia’s is at 3.69 per cent. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Uganda is at 2.94 per cent.

Catherine Muringo: How I bought an expensive car, 3 months after launching my Mitumba business

A 2021 report by the Mitumba consortium association of Kenya estimates that 91.5 per cent of Kenyans buy secondhand clothes. This simply shows how important the sector is to the people and the economy. According to the report, Kenya imported 185,000 tonnes of secondhand clothing in 2019, equivalent to approximately 8,000 containers.

The government raked 12 billion shillings in taxes through the sector in 2019. The sector contributed at least 1 billion shillings in revenue per month. Despite many challenges faced by Mitumba traders, among them harassment by the city-county officials popularly known as Kanjos, many people in the sector have grown to become millionaires.

While many people in the sector attribute their success to hard work and determination, some say the following secrets form the backbone of their rise.

1. Research

According to Vee, a mitumba trader based in Gikomba, research is crucial when starting the mitumba business. As a business person, you will need to identify where to get your stock at a cheap price. You will also need to identify the location of your target audience. If you sell youth clothes, identify a location where the youthful population is at the brim.

Alex Aduol: Joy and pain of running my mitumba business at Gikomba

2. Get to the market Early.

The price of Mitumba clothes in Gikomba – where many traders source their stock – changes based on the time of the day. Traders get good stock at a cheap price in the early morning hours. Vee says she gets to Gikomba by 5 am as businesses there open at 6 am.

3. Understand the market language.

The market language is what lures many customers to buy your products. You ever pass in mitumba selling areas and hear most of them shouting mia na mia which translates to a hundred shillings and another a hundred shillings. You look at the product and find it attractive.

You proceed to buy, and while paying the seller 100 shillings, he tells you mia na mia meant 200 shillings. At this point, it’s always difficult for the customer to return the product because it has already captured their attention.

4. Good Customer relationship

Just like in any other business, how you serve your customers determines whether they will shop from your store again or not. As a mitumba vendor, understand the wears your customer wants, then help them in finding them.

Statement on remarks by Raila Odinga that “mitumba are clothes from dead people”

 If they still need to get the type they wanted, tell them to check in next time. Also, when a customer buys one dress, give them a blazer that matches it. Convince them to try both. Compliment them, and after being convinced they look good, they will buy both the dress and the blazer. That way, you will increase your sales.

5. Avoid buying stock from brokers.

Brokers usually sell their wear at a higher price than the actual prices. If a dress costs 200 shillings, a broker will sell it at 250 shillings. Try as much as possible to get your products directly from the seller to avoid spending much. If you buy at a higher price, it means you will sell at a higher price to balance the cost. Customers may fail to buy your expensive wear and get cheap ones from another vendor.

6. Study the seasons and time.

Don’t go selling vests and shorts during the rainy season or heavy jackets during dry weather. The wear you sell should match the season; otherwise, your stock will last for so many days.