Why does the Mitumba business in Kenya thrive?

I think that there are at least three reasons as to why the Mitumba business thrives in Kenya.

First is of course the fact that the mtumba business in Kenya is one that can be very profitable. I mean, these are clothes that are sold on wholesale by the kilo/bale, and the individuals who buy them by the kilo or by the bale then proceed to sell them as individual garments at a potentially big profit.

Second is the fact that the Mitumba business in Kenya is one that serves a real need in the society. You find that there are many low-income earners for whom the mitumba provide a real lifeline: folks who would otherwise be walking around in the rags were it not for the gap filled by the mitumba. If you don’t believe this, just throw your memory back to the time when there was no mitumba in Kenya (if you are old enough) and remember the type of ‘kurarukiwa’ we used to see those days...

Third is the fact that the Mitumba business in Kenya is one that seems to have some sort of international support. I remember, for instance, that time when the government attempted to ban the importation of mitumba second hand clothes. What I remember the US government did in retaliation (if my memory serves me right) was to threaten to cut Kenya off from the African Growth Opportunity Act [AGOA] market. And as it turns out, the AGOA market is important for the sustenance of the EPZ factories that have grown into major employers in Kenya. Eventually the government seemed to relent, and the mitumba business continued to thrive. Later on, during the coronavirus crisis, there was another announcement that the importation of mitumba had been banned, and we were waiting to see how that would play out in the long run.