Textile and Apparel Sector Poised as Pillar of Kenya’s Industrialization Drive, Report States
NAIROBI — Kenya’s textile and apparel sector has been identified as a critical priority industry with the potential to drive export growth, create mass employment, and advance the nation’s manufacturing agenda, according to a comprehensive new strategic report from the Institute of Economic Affairs. The analysis, titled Delivering the Plan, outlines a concrete pathway for revitalizing the entire cotton-to-clothing value chain, positioning it as a linchpin for achieving the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). The report argues that with targeted interventions, the sector could reclaim its historical strength and become a multi-billion-shilling export engine.
The strategic blueprint focuses on synchronized development across three key areas: revitalizing cotton farming, expanding and modernizing manufacturing capacity, and securing preferential market access. It calls for substantial investment in high-yield, drought-resistant cotton seeds for farmers, alongside the rehabilitation of public ginneries to improve raw material quality and supply. For manufacturers, the plan emphasizes the need for affordable energy, skills development in garment construction and design, and incentives for investment in state-of-the-art textile mills to reduce reliance on imported fabric. A major thrust is on leveraging existing trade agreements, particularly the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to secure Kenya’s position as a regional apparel sourcing hub.
Industry stakeholders have largely welcomed the report’s holistic approach. For too long, we’ve tackled this sector in fragments. This plan correctly identifies that you cannot have a thriving apparel export industry without a stable, high-quality supply of local cotton, said Jane Muthoni, CEO of a mid-sized apparel firm in Athi River. However, she noted that consistent implementation and predictable policy will be key. The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) highlighted the need for urgent action on long-standing issues like countering smuggling of second-hand clothes (mitumba) and reducing the cost of production to compete with regional rivals like Ethiopia.
The long-term outlook presented in the report is ambitious but contingent on decisive public-private partnership. Success would be measured by a dramatic increase in the number of cotton farmers, a surge in apparel exports, and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs from the farm to the factory floor. If the coordinated strategy is effectively funded and executed, the sector could transform rural economies in cotton-growing counties, empower a new generation of fashion entrepreneurs, and significantly reduce Kenya’s trade deficit, weaving a stronger economic fabric for the nation’s future. The coming fiscal year’s budget allocations are seen as the first critical test of the government’s commitment to delivering on this plan.