Sale of Kenyan-made garments resumes in city
The sale of made-for-export clothes is set to resume in Nairobi this weekend after stints in Mombasa and Nyeri.
The Export Promotion Zones Authority (EPZA) said yesterday the four-day sale starting June 17 will be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), giving traders and buyers access to high-quality clothes at subsidised prices.
“After three successful Buy Kenya, Build Kenya sale of quality clothes manufactured by EPZ apparel firms, the sale is back in Nairobi for the second time. From June 17-21, at the KICC. Come get quality and affordable clothes,” the EPZA said on its official Facebook page on Wednesday.
LOCAL MARKET ACCESS
The move follows President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to increase tax-free local market access for apparels by EPZ firms to 40 per cent from the initial 20 per cent.
The factories employ about 42,000 Kenyans and generate Sh36.9 billion in sales of finished garments exported to global retail chains in the United States, Europe and to the Middle East.
The initiative launched in May attracted more than 200,000 Kenyan buyers during its first run in Nairobi.
Industrialisation secretary Adan Mohamed said the drive aims to boost demand and employment creation.
According to the EPZA’s annual report, apparel firms are unable to meet export demand and are currently seeking land for expansion.
UNABLE TO EXPAND
But many firms have been unable to expand due to the high cost of land.
The clothes on sale include T-shirts, vests, blouses, shirts and trousers as well as socks going for as little as Sh100 and Sh600 for items that cost as much as Sh6,000 in the global markets.
Participating firms include Heal Clothing, a licensed producer of global brands notably Victoria’s Secret and Calvin Klein, Nairobi’s United Aryan, Mombasa Apparel and Africa Apparel.