EDITORIAL: Textiles industry revival an idea whose time has come

And then there are the value chain benefits that should come in the form of distribution and retail that could spread the benefits beyond the confines of the Special Economic Zones.

A vibrant textile industry could also help revive the fallen textile giants such as Kisumu’s Kicomi, whose return should help resuscitate the cotton farming subsector that died in the 1980s under the weight of second-hand clothes.

This again will impact on the job market as well as it will create the backward and forward linkages starting with the farmer through factories, retailers and related services.

Such types of initiatives have the potential to put income directly into the pockets of the rural folk and revive industries that have long suffered a lack of demand for their products.

Most of the apparel manufacturers operate in the export processing zones, meaning they enjoy a number of advantages, including tax holidays, making their products cheaper. That should be a boon for the Kenyan who still finds it expensive to buy new clothes.

Actually Kenyans have shown that they indeed would want to buy new clothes if only they were affordable.

The recent exhibition at the KICC in Nairobi where hundreds queued for hours to buy the relatively cheap new clothes was an indication that all that is needed to grow the industry is right pricing.

Efforts to revive the entire apparel industry production chain should be sustained to ensure that policies do not change mid-stream.

People will invest millions if this proposal is implemented and it would be a major disappointment and loss should the government a few years down the line revise this 40 per cent figure downwards.

The ‘Buy Kenya-Build Kenya’ policy is well meant and should be seen in action rather than mere words.