The secondhand clothes business, or Mitumba business, as it is known in Kenya, has been a controversial but popular subject in the country for decades. Used clothes were imported in the country as duty-free charity items during the '70s and '80s.

This, however, evolved into a commercialized business sector in the early '90s. Trading in used clothes did not come without a downside, though. Local textile industry became the biggest casualty since it could not compete with the lower cost and higher quality of used clothes, a majority of which were imported from the United States and the United Kingdom.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the country imported 177,160 metric tons of used clothes and shoes that were valued at about US$157 million in 2019

The quick adoption of used clothes and the resulting competition was among the factors that led to the collapse of the Kenyan textile industry as companies, such as the Kisumu Cotton Mills, Allied Industries Limited and Heritage Woolen Mills, shut their operations.

Trading in imported secondhand clothes also created income opportunities for businessmen who decided to ply the trade. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the country imported 177,160 metric tons of used clothes and shoes that were valued at about US$157 million in 2019.

Getting them distributed requires an elaborate value chain, which includes wholesale importers, large-scale buyers who purchase from importers, retailers who buy in small quantities and the people who work for them as employees or casual workers.

Things were looking good for businessmen dealing in secondhand clothes in Kenya until the coronavirus pandemic struck.

In addition to the economic slump caused by the pandemic-related restrictions introduced by the Kenyan government in March, secondhand clothes dealers in Kenya faced an additional challenge after the government, through the Kenya Bureau of Standards, or KEBS, banned the import of secondhand clothes for fear that they might help in spreading the virus.

In a notice issued on March 31, the KEBS said the move was prompted by the need to avoid importing the virus through the clothes.

Brooke Mwangi is a used clothes retailer who used to operate in Nairobi's Gikomba market but had to shut his business and switch to selling porridge to traders at the market.

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While the KEBS had banned the import of secondhand clothes, the government had imposed some of the toughest rules and people were losing jobs, Mwangi said. "We, in the secondhand clothes business, lost our jobs, and our supply was cut short."

Since Mwangi could not get new stock, he decided to close his used clothes business and use his stall to make porridge, which he now sells.

"I realized that by delivering porridge to traders at their stalls, I was saving them the trouble of having to go to a restaurant, and in return, I make some little money. However, you cannot compare this to my clothes business," Mwangi said.

Stringent measures

On Aug 16, the KEBS announced that the import and sale of used clothes and shoes is set to resume under stringent COVID-19 measures and protocols.

Under the new measures, used clothes and shoes must be cleaned and fumigated, each consignment must be packed in transparent and waterproof material, and all importers and dealers must be registered with the KEBS and adhere to the COVID-19 prevention protocols issued by Kenya's Ministry of Health.

Eric Kaveli, a customer who uses secondhand clothes, said the move by the government might have been well-intended but ill-timed.

"By abruptly banning the imports, the government disrupted the supply and even though the ban has been lifted, the restrictions introduced means that the supply will take time to get back to where it was. Similarly, the prices, which went up due to the ban, will also take time to come down.

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"Most of us are struggling to put food on the table with the prevailing economic circumstances, and buying expensive secondhand clothes is the least of our priorities. However, like any other sector that has been affected by the virus, we believe the business will be back once we conquer the virus," Kaveli added.