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From Left: Teresia Njenga, MCAK Chairperson and Kwame Owino, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA-Kenya) during the launch of an economic report revealing that Kenya spends more money on new clothes than on used clothes
Report: Kenya spends more money on New clothes
The Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya (MCAK) has launched an economic report revealing that Kenya spends more money on new clothes than on used clothes.
Data from the Economic Survey 2025 shows that Kenyan textile imports for 2024 were about Ksh 60 billion compared to Mitumba’s sh28 billion.
The report dubbed A Future Look at the Apparel and Footwear Industry in Kenya (2022–2037), finds that Kenya’s second-hand clothing (Mitumba) sector is a critical part of Kenya’s economy, job market and future, and not a threat to local manufacturing.
Commissioned by MCAK and authored by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), the study provides data on the size, structure and trajectory of Kenya’s apparel industry, highlighting the urgent need for a policy framework that supports both Mitumba and local textile manufacturing.
Speaking during the launch at a Nairobi hotel, Mr. Kwame Owino, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA-Kenya) said, “It is not true that the availability of used clothes is the cause for failures in domestic textile companies.”
Owino said that 2 million livelihoods depend on Mitumba indicating that most of them are women, youth and informal traders across every county in Kenya.
He noted that sh12 billion is collected annually in tax revenue from Mitumba trade.
“The average household spends Ksh 409 per quarter on used clothing compared to Ksh 783 on new items confirming the affordability gap Mitumba fills,” he said adding that 91.5 percent of households who buy used clothing spend under sh 1,000 per quarter.
In 2019, sh197.5 billion was spent nationally on combined new and second-hand clothing and footwear.
He said that strong correlation exists between income growth and Mitumba consumption: for every 1 percent rise in income, there is a 12 percent rise in demand for used clothing.
Teresia Njenga, MCAK Chairperson, said that Mitumba sector is there to stay as it creates jobs to many Kenyans while boosting the economy.
“Today, we are not here to defend Mitumba. We are here to celebrate its role in Kenya’s economy and to prove that it can coexist with local manufacturing to create jobs, drive growth and keep Kenya fashionably ahead,” said Njenga.
According to the report, a liberalised policy environment with strategic support for both sectors is necessary to generate the highest employment, revenue and economic welfare.
Further, used clothes and new clothes do not compete as they serve different market needs.
They have distinct value chains, pricing models and consumers.
The study gives a case study of Pakistan which has successfully balanced thriving textile exports with substantial second-hand imports.
This offers Kenya a model of industrial and inclusive economic policy.
Mitumba is also one of Kenya’s largest contributors to environmental sustainability as it extends the lifespan of clothing and reduces textile waste.
