Buy Kenya, build Kenya: Overcoming the challenges of local production

Umesh Bhojwani, brand owner, Vision Plus Kenya.

Imports from china, Kenya’s biggest trading partner plunged by at least Sh58.64 billion in the first two months of the year as the coronavirus outbreak disrupted the supply chain. A survey by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) shows about 82 per cent source their inputs from china, hence face a direct risk of supply chain disruption.  China alone accounts for about 21 per cent of Kenya’s imports, meaning more than Sh200 billion worth of products may need to be sourced elsewhere or substituted by local production.

We sat down with the Umesh Bhojwani, brand owner at Vision Plus Kenya, a small-scale importer of LED TVs for the local Kenyan market, to understand what it would take for the country to master the art of local production.