'Made in Kenya' still faces major challenges - experts

Kenya remains a powerhouse in matters exports, however the 'Made in Kenya' is still it not big globally

Data from the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency(KEPROBA) shows that in 2020 the country's major exports were tea, horticulture, articles of apparel, petroleum reexports, coffee.

Out of all these products, apparel is the only major manufactured product being exported under the 'Made in Kenya' label.

According to the Kenya Association of Manufacturers(KAM), manufacturers face a couple of challenges, in producing Kenyan-made products thus the low uptake of the products.

“One of the key challenges facing the 'Made in Kenya' products is competitiveness of the products, there exists a competitiveness gap of at least 12.8 per cent between Kenya and key competing countries, attributed to the high cost of doing business in Kenya,” said KAM Chair, Mucai Kunyiha.

The UNIDO 2020 Competitive Industrial Performance (CIP) Index ranks Kenya’s industrial competitiveness at position 115 out of 152 countries.

This is in comparison to key competitor markets in Africa such as Egypt and South Africa that rank at positions 64 and 52, respectively.

“It is critical that government puts more efforts, to address both the cost and ease of doing business in the country, to improve our competitiveness,” said Kunyiha.

He cites market access as another key challenge with a significant number of consumers both in the private and public sector believing that imported products are superior to locally manufactured ones.

The issue of cost is also a problem with Kenyans saying that they would rather buy imported goods than locally manufactured goods due to their high cost.

“Most made in Kenya products are expensive therefore I prefer buying imported goods which are similar and are cheaper,”Gladys Wambui told the Star.

On a recent tweetchat on the #MadeinKenya, Ian Mbugua said he would buy the products, only if they were of very good quality.

Quality garments and shoes made in Kenya, just as quality coffee and tea, have their markets in the rich Western countries as Kenyans find them to expensive.

For instance a pair of jeans produced by the Export Processing Zones in the country goes for $300 in the global market yet the same pair sold at a local store that has imported from the Middle East will go for about Sh600-1000, less than $15.

KAM has come up with initiatives to promote the Buy Kenya Build Kenya (BKBK) , through events such as Changamka Festival and recently launched the Kenyan By Design Campaign that hosts the Fashion Central Show.

According to KAM, one key win they have achieved in the BKBK, is having the President come out as the main promoter and brand ambassador of Made in Kenya.

Over the last couple of years, his dressing has encouraged Kenyans to purchase locally manufactured clothes.

Uhuru made a deliberate attempt to rally Kenyans to support local products, a strategy aimed at reviving Kenya’s textile industry through the hashtag #BuyKenyaBuildKenya.

KEPROBA on the other hand notes that even with the promotion of 'Made in Kenya' many local products still carry no unique mark to show their origin.This disadvantages them when competing with imports of goods and services.

The agency notes that without a unique and distinct differentiator, Kenyan goods lose their originality and to an extent, their preference in the local and global market.

To address this gap and create more value proposition to enhance competitiveness for Kenyan products and services in local and global markets, BrandKE Board in conjunction with other stakeholders developed a  'Made in Kenya Brand Mark' to help identify and authenticate locally-manufactured products on local and global markets.

This is set to encourage local production of goods. It will also ensure that producers take the responsibility of producing quality finished products for the local, regional and global markets.

The Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and Enterprise Development has also developed the Master Roll of Locally Manufactured Goods, to boost made in Kenya products.

For the past three years, the Ministry has been gazetting a list of locally manufactured products available in sufficient volumes in Kenya.

All public entities are required to source these products locally with the private sector equally encouraged to do so. This is set to increase local manufacturers’ market share.

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has also made a fresh appeal for the industrialisation of Kenya.

Odinga said he is keen to have Kenya grow its own industries and ensure that most of the products consumed in the country are locally produced.

“I have some ideas on how we can have many Made in Kenya products in supermarket shelves and shops in a sustained manner that ensures homegrown industrialisation,” Odinga stated.

As part of his manifesto ahead of next year’s elections, Odinga pledged to build industries by paying attention to skilled labourers and creating an environment where young Kenyans participate in skills competitions.