Africa: Kenya Emerges Africa’s Largest Importer of Second-Hand Clothes

Kenya has emerged as the largest importer of second-hand clothes in Africa, earning the unfortunate distinction of being an easy dumping ground for used apparel while struggling to revive its collapsed textile industry.

According to the latest trade data compiled by the United States-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Kenya imported second-hand clothes and textiles worth Sh38.5 billion ($298 million) in 2023, making Kenya the continent’s leading buyer of mitumba, the Kiswahili term…