When buying second-hand clothing, the previous owner remains unknown. However, some of these garments may have originated from unexpected and disturbing sources.
Contrary to popular belief, second-hand clothes are not solely imported items. According to Victor Otieno, a resident living near the Dandora dump site, some of these clothes are taken from dead bodies and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Morgues, which dispose of waste at the Dandora dump site, often contain unsettling contents.
Otieno describes the horrifying waste that sometimes accompanies these items, including fetal remains, amputated body parts, and bloody clothing. Despite their origins, some of these clothes are washed and either sold or worn.
As Otieno notes, "Sometimes they come with horrifying waste. You can bump on a foetus, amputated toes, ears or other parts of body. People get clothes from the waste from mortuary and hospitals. Some tattered, bloody but others fit for wearing. They belong to the gone, but people wash them before either selling or wearing them."
