The Kenyan Government has announced that imports of used clothing and shoes will be allowed to resume after they were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Announced last Friday (14 August), the new protocol provides information on best practices for supply chain operators to guarantee the health and safety of sellers, importers, wholesalers and buyers and limit the risk of the spread of Covid-19.
The ban on imports of used clothing and textiles was originally announced in March at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The Textile Recycling Association (TRA) in collaboration with the UK Government and the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) have since been working to present scientific evidence that textile imports are safe from Covid-19. The TRA has praised the formation of the Kenyan textile association Mitumba Association of Kenya (MAK) – ‘mitumba’ is a Kenyan term for used clothing – and its work in persuading the Kenyan Government to lift the ban on used clothing imports.
The used textiles market is a key sector of the Kenyan economy, employing around two million people – around 10 per cent of the labour force according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya’s protocol on the importation of used textiles and shoes states that all importers of used textiles and shoes should notify the government of their intention to import, with all imports to be subject to inspection and certification under Pre-Export Verification of Conformity to Standards requirements.
Source: Resource
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