Kenya’s Fashion and Textile Sector Creates 250,000 Jobs Under Cotton Revival Plan

Kenya’s revived cotton-to-garment value chain now supports 250,000 direct and indirect jobs—from farming to ginneries, spinning, weaving, and retail. The Ministry of Industrialization reports that Rivatex Kenya in Eldoret supplies fabric to UNHCR, schools, and local designers. The ban on mitumba imports has freed local factories to scale. New investments include a Ksh3 billion spinning mill in Webuye and 10 fashion incubation hubs in Nairobi and Mombasa. With AfCFTA, Kenya targets $600 million in textile exports by 2027. The sector is becoming a model for import substitution and youth employment in manufacturing.