According to new report, Kenyan Mitumba clothing exports were Ksh. 28 billion in 2024. Data from the Economic Survey 2025 shows that Kenyan textile imports for 2024 were about Ksh 60 billion compared to Mitumba’s Ksh. 28 billion.
The report dubbed A Future Look at the Apparel and Footwear Industry in Kenya (2022–2037), 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
• 2 million livelihoods depend on Mitumba: most of them women, youth and informal traders across every county in Kenya.
• Ksh 12 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.
• 91.5% of households who buy used clothing spend under Ksh 1,000 per quarter.
• In 2019, Ksh 197.5 billion was spent nationally on combined new and second-hand clothing and footwear.
• Strong correlation exists between income growth and Mitumba consumption: for every 1% rise in income, there is a 12% rise in demand for used clothing.
Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya (MCAK) is Kenya’s umbrella body for second-hand clothing stakeholders.