This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
Kenya is poised to lift a temporary ban on second-hand clothes and shoes, giving hope to traders and casual workers. The move comes after the government gave the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) the green light to develop new guidelines for lifting the March ban without risking the importation of the novel coronavirus.
According to sources, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) had imposed the ban earlier this year to curb the spread of the coronavirus. However, officials from the Mitumba Association have urged the Ministry of Trade, Industrialization and Enterprise Development to lift the ban to save two million traders and 19 million consumers who rely on second-hand clothing.
Industrialization and Trade Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina has assured the public that the government is working with the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) to develop protocols for dealing with used clothes in the context of the pandemic. The new guidelines will require the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) to determine whether the coronavirus can survive the duration it takes to ship in second-hand clothes.
Other Covid-19 protocols will include repeated fumigation of the merchandise, going cashless, and adherence to the current measures put in place by the government.
