Trade, Industry and Investment CS Moses Kuria has said he was misquoted in reports indicating that he plans to ban the importation of secondhand clothes, better known as mitumba.
He however said he has no regrets in committing to boost local textile industries.
Kuria said his remarks on Tuesday had been misinterpreted, adding that the plan was to increase consumption of locally made clothes hence decreasing the number of Kenyans buying mitumba.
"I want to see a Kenya whereby every Kenyan can afford to buy new clothes... I want to see those people wearing clothes made here in Limuru that are affordable. I have no regrets about that," he said.
The CS spoke on Wednesday during the launch of Tilisi ALP facility in Limuru.
Kuria said his ministry was committed to ending poverty by creating employment opportunities in the textile industry, adding that those who buy mitumba are driven by poverty not will.
"Nobody wears mitumba out of their will, they wear it because they don't have enough disposable income, because they don’t have alternatives and because they don’t have jobs. "
The former Gatundu East MP pointed out that as an exporter of clothes, he can attest that mitumba is much more expensive.
