Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) on Tuesday, March 21, clarified that it had not revised the levy on second-hand clothes (Mitumba).
In a statement, the Tax Authority indicated that the rate for worn items of clothing is 35 per cent of the Customs value, including the price of consignment, freight and insurance fee.
The rates still stand at Ksh24.35 per kilogram.
Initial reports indicated that the levy had increased from Ksh24.35 per kg of first-grade mitumba to Ksh109.58.
"Through the East Africa Community Gazette Vol-AT-1-NO-14 published on June 30, 2022, the rates have been in effect since July 1, 2022. These rates have been uploaded in the Customs systems including iCMS, accessible by all registered clearing agents," the statement read in part.
The reports trended on social media with the hashtag 'Kg to Ksh' for the better part of Tuesday morning, March 21, with the majority of Kenyans faulting the government for the alleged hike in tariffs.
The debate regarding mitumba has made headlines since November last year when Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria hinted at banning the importation of second-hand clothing. This elicited mixed reactions across all quarters who weighed their opinions on the issue.
Following the uproar, Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah urged the Committee on Procedure and House Rules to speed up the process of amending the Standing Orders in a bid to allow Cabinet Secretaries to respond to questions at the House.
“The CS should be here to tell us whether it is the media or him who made the remarks that mitumba should be banned," Ichung’wah stated during a past Parliament session.
In a rejoinder, CS Kuria clarified that he had no intention of banning mitumba but rather elevating Kenya's manufacturing and textile industries.
"Kenyan exporters sell them much cheaper than what is available here under Mitumba imports and my point is I don't need to ban mitumba and I will not ban mitumba, but I will make mitumba not competitive.
"I will make sure people are able to buy clothes made in Kenya at cheaper prices. So it is up to me to ensure nobody goes for mitumba and that it dies naturally," he stated during an interview on Citizen TV's JKL dated November 2, 2022.
