Review Mitumba duty for second-rate citizens’ sake - Point Blank

By Njoroge Kinuthia

Some second-hand clothes dealers at the sprawling Gikomba market are reported to have closed shop following the government’s decision to increase duty on mitumba.

The traders have been complaining that they have been unable to clear their cargo at the port of Mombasa since tax on imported second hand clothes was increased from Sh1.1 million per container to Sh1.9 million.

PointBlank is yet to establish what motivated the decision to hike the duty. While it is indisputable that mitumba will never be a panacea for our clothing and economic needs, some feel the current move was ill-timed.

lose immensely

The country is facing very hard times, economically, and most basic commodities are out of reach for ordinary Kenyans. New clothes are, to say the least, a luxury that majority of Kenyans cannot afford.

In addition, thousands of people are employed directly in the mitumba industry and stand to lose immensely if this decision is not reviewed.

That’s why we must not kill this industry yet.

Mr Michael Njugunah K says he read with a lot interest Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore’s response to Kisumu Town West MP’s question on the poor mobile signal over Riat Hills.

He commends Mr Collymore for taking action and notes that it’s always reassuaring when top managers take their time to respond to clients’ queries.

Besides the commendation, Njugunah also has a request that he hopes Safaricom will address with speed just as in the case of mheshimiwa.

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