Second-hand clothes importers face harsh penalties
Street vendors display their mitumba clothes. PHOTO | FILE
Importers of second-hand clothes have been given up to July 20 to comply with the 2005 regulations requiring them to fumigate clothes in the country of origin.
Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) said failure to obey the rules will result in the cargo being destroyed.
The rules also apply to second-hand shoes with the regulator requiring a certificate of conformity (CoC) from the country of origin.
The regulation under the legal notice number 78 (2005) demands all the consignments be accompanied by a CoC issued by a Kebs- appointed inspection agents.
Kebs managing director Charles Ongwae noted there have been cases of importers not adhering to the set guidelines, hence the need to remind them of the penalty that they face for continuous violation of the law.
“Our role as a standardisation body is to protect the consumers at the same time support trade,” he said. The regulation also requires packaged consignment to have a maximum weight of 50kg for clothes and 25kg for shoes.
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