Goodbye to old clothes in Uganda - 13th December 2023

Soon, fashions may change in Uganda. The President is Yoweri Museveni. He doesn't like old clothes. He wants new clothes for Ugandans. He has a plan. He wants to stop secondhand clothes.

In Uganda, lots of people - 16 million people - buy secondhand clothes. The clothes come from other countries. But President Museveni isn't happy about this.

David Bahati's a politician.

David Bahati: "And this is the focus that our country, that His Excellency the President, President Museveni says this must be sorted, because Ugandans need to put on new clothings."

Uganda grows cotton. It sells lots of the cotton to other countries. But Uganda could keep its cotton.

David Bahati: "We have cotton. We can produce all these things that we're talking about in the secondhand market, here in Uganda. And we have companies that have started producing."

The sellers in Owino market are worried. The market's in Kampala. It started selling secondhand clothes 50 years ago. Peace Mackline owns a shop there. She sells old clothes.

Peace Mackline: "So if they come and ban us, number one we are going to lose our jobs. Sustaining our families is going to be very difficult."

Buyers are worried too. It's not just about the price. It's about quality.

Grace Nakytende: "They are cheap, people easily can make, can get them at a cheaper prices. Every, every person can buy cheap clothes, better than these new shoe, these new clothes."

30 percent of Ugandans are poor. Secondhand clothes are important for them. The government wants big changes. But lots of Ugandans don't.