KACITA warns govt over proposed ban on second-hand clothes

Traders under the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) have warned government against the proposed ban on importation of second-hand clothes, highlighting its effect on local revenue.

While speaking at the opening of 16 factories at Sino-Uganda in Mbale Industrial Park, last Friday, President Museveni reechoed the need for citizens to embrace the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) policy if the country is to develop.

In line with this, the President proposed a ban on the importation of second-hand clothes and electricity meters in a bid to promote buying of locally-made items.

In an interview with NTV on Monday morning, Issa Ssekitto, the KACITA spokesperson said second-hand clothes have a bigger impact on the entire country which instead should have been protected for the betterment of the economy, especially at a time when the World Bank is cutting funding to Uganda.

“Ninety percent of the boutiques across the countryside, markets, and small businesses on the roads use the items (second-hand clothes) and therefore if you are to get the bigger picture of how much employment the second-hand items have on the economy, you need to travel across the world,” Ssekitto said.

Written by Mike Sebalu