Kenya to create thousands of jobs with revival of textile industry

Industrialist Dr Riyaz Haider from Bio Sustain Tanzania Ltd (left) and IREN Kenya Director James Shikwati discuss how to grow the textiles sector. [PHOTO:JAMES WANZALA/STANDARD]

The domestic textile market will grow to meet the country's  demand if well activated, the sector’s stakeholders have been told. This will make the sector competitive and see the country cut reliance on imported textile materials. The imports are due to fragile cotton value chain capacity that cannot meet demand in terms of volume, price and quantity.

Dr Riyaz Haider from Bio Sustain Tanzania Ltd, said local companies like Puma, among others, collapsed due to poor quality of imported fabrics, noting that the quality standards should be enhanced to ensure growth of the industry in the three East African countries. “Tanzania and Uganda have competitive advantage over Kenya, thanks to the quality standards and policy there. That’s why many textile products are being imported from Tanzania and Uganda to Kenya,” said Riyaz.