Friday, March 29, 2024

Catherine Wairimu: Banning mitumba would impoverish and ruin my life

Catherine Wairimu has always been fond of secondhand clothes. Over the years, mitumba –  as second hand clothes are popularly known in Kenya – have dominated her wardrobe. “I have an assortment of mitumba jeans, casual skirts and shorts, mitumba office trousers and blouses, trench coats, handbags, and sneakers,” she says.

Until 2016, Catherine bought her used clothes and accessories at open air markets in her estate, Nairobi downtown, and in Gikomba. Her passion and interactions with sellers stirred a business idea in her. “I began to think about opening my own mitumba business. With my passion, I felt that I could succeed,” she says.

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In October 2016, she started a business buying and selling mitumba clothes, shoes, and accessories, and distributing castoff fur coats, hoodies and shoes to customers upcountry. All was going well until March 2020 when the government announced that it was banning the importation of second hand clothes. Banning mitumba meant that once her stock exhausted, she’d have to pack up and go home.

Although the ban was instituted as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, it was not entirely far-fetched. The government had been mulling about banning mitumbas to spur the growth of the local textile industry. “I went into panic mode. I had built my business for over three years and now it was staring at a total shutdown,” she says.

Although she could have opted to switch to newly imported clothes from Turkey and Dubai, Catherine was not keen on it. “My passion for business was hinged on the diversity and uniqueness of second hand clothes,” she says. Things got thicker for traders in Mombasa. Of about 4,000 mitumba traders at the Kongowea open-air market, one of the largest in East Africa, some 1,000 traders closed shop after running out of stock.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the ban only exempted purchases that had been ordered and processed. For example, 12,081 tonnes of mitumba were imported in the April to June 2020 period. This was a sharp drop of 76.06 percent compared with 50,486 tonnes in a similar period a year earlier. In the same vein, the value of mitumba imported into the country in the review period, showed a steep 74.5 percent fall compared with Sh. 4.8 billion that was recorded in the corresponding period in 2019.

Mitumba sector in Kenya employs over 2 million people, report reveals

In mid August 2020, though, Catherine and millions of other Kenyans who rely on the mitumba sector heaved a sigh of relief after the government lifted the importation ban. According to a report on the state of mitumba trade in Kenya that was prepared by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), mitumbas provide employment to over 2 million people. “I had exhausted my stock. Going back to work and starting to earn my livelihood once again was a blessing,” says Catherine.

Granted, the debate on banning mitumba may continue to occasionally pop up in Kenya, especially where mitumbas are seen as overshadowing the local textile sector. But according to Kwame Owino, the chief executive officer at IEA, mitumbas are not a threat to the local textile industry. On the contrary, banning mitumbs would leave traders like Catherine poor, and small retail mitumba sellers and buyers even poorer. “People are spending more money on new purchases than mitumba and there is no evidence that the mitumba’s are affecting the local textile industry. Banning mitumbas is simply telling poorer people that they have no choices for clothing,” he says.

This is echoed by the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) chairman Suleiman Shahbal. He says that apart from supporting over 2 million people in Kenya, mitumbas also extend support to other industries and sectors in complementary businesses. “You don’t just kill small-scale traders, you also kill godown owners and truck businesses who transport mitumba bales to different parts of the country,” he said.

In addition, the second hand clothes sector has also been a major money saver for thrifters. Fatuma Mohammed is one of these beneficiaries. “I have been thrifting clothes for fifteen years now. It is an art that was passed to me by my parents,” she says. Fatuma observes that thrifting second hand clothes has given her the upper hand when it comes to finding unique and affordable items that she won’t find with other people. “The quality is also very good. For example, I still have and wear some of the clothes I thrifted back in high school, and they are still in perfect condition. Looking good doesn’t have to be expensive. You can still look good wearing thrift outfits which are mostly second hand,” she says.

For Catherine, banning mitumba again would leave her impoverished. “My business is only beginning to recover after suffering the economic bout of corona pandemic. Another ban would collapse my business,” she says. Catherine adds that she would be left at the mercy of auctioneers due to he various business loan facilities she has taken from three banks.

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