During Madaraka Day celebrations in Bungoma township on Saturday, Kenyan President William Ruto announced that Kenya will no longer import any kind of shoes in the near future, but will focus on strengthening local footwear production.
According to Ruto, the decision is part of his government's commitment to develop the leather sector to strengthen and make local industries competitive for local sale and export.
‘I have made this commitment: shortly we will no longer import shoes from anywhere. We will wear our own shoes, made in Kenya, using our own leather.’ According to Ruto, it is imperative that Kenya shifts its leather value chain from exporting raw materials and semi-finished products to developing internationally accepted and competitive finished and leather products. ‘We are in the process of developing local capacity to process hides and skins to provide quality raw materials, tanning and local production of finished leather products such as shoes, bags and belts,’ the president said, as reported by Kenyans.
The intention is to self-finance the leather sector by enticing investors who want to produce shoes and other items to set up their own industries in Kenya, employing local labour, training them and offering them the know-how.
‘For this purpose,’ Ruto said, ‘the construction of the Kenya Leather Industrial Park in Kenanie, Machakos County, has almost been completed, This park will have a common effluent treatment plant, 2 tanneries, 2 leather manufacturing plants and 100 acres for investors who want to open leather factories by the end of the year.
The government plans to multiply job opportunities in the sector from 17 thousand employees to 100 thousand, and increase annual shoe production from the current 8 million to 36 million pairs, to reach a market potential of 72 billion shillings by 2027.