Mismanagement Hurting Textile Industry

According to the Kenya Tailoring and Textile Workers Union more than 30,000 workers have become jobless because the mismanagement and liberalization have collapsed about 90 textile companies.

Most of the factories closed since 1990 were in Nairobi, Nakuru,
Kisumu, Thika and Eldoret said Rev Joel Chebii, the national chairman of the Kenya Tailoring and Textile Workers Union.

Accompanied by officials of 22 trade unions affiliated to the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu), he told a workers rally in Eldoret that liberalisation had flooded the local market with cheap,
sub-standard goods.

"This has created unfair competition to the locally manufactured goods. Some farmers have abandoned producing raw materials like wool and cotton, while some factories just went down due to mismanagement," the Rev Chebii said.

The official, who is also the Cotu national second vice-chairman,
appealed to the Government to revive the firms to reduce poverty and help create 500,000 jobs a year as promised by Narc.

He also wanted to know the progress of plans by some American investors to revive Rift Valley Textile Mills (Rivatex) of Eldoret.