NAIROBI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China was the leading source of second hand clothes and footwear to Kenya in 2020, said a report on the state of second hand clothes and footwear released in Kenya Thursday.
Kwame Owino, CEO of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), told Xinhua in Nairobi that one of the reasons for significant imports into Kenya is that China has a huge textile sector and thus the capacity to export both used or out of season textile and apparels.
The report published by IEA seeks to examine the structure and extent of the used clothing industry and its contribution to the economy.
According to the report, China accounted for 41 percent of all imports of second hand clothes in 2019, with Pakistan, Canada, Britain and the U.S. as other major sources.
The report indicated that 97 percent of Kenya's imports in second-hand textiles were made from almost 20 countries.
According to the study, Kenya is one of the largest importers of second-hand clothes in Sub-Saharan Africa because of its use and export to other countries.
"The volume of imported second-hand clothes and footwear reflect the domestic demand for these goods among the Kenyan population," says the IEA report. Enditem
