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Used clothing ban in Uganda - 13th December 2023

The Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, has declared war on secondhand clothing, stating he would like to ban all imports of these items.

According to a US government study, East Africa imports over 12 percent of the whole world's exported secondhand clothing. In Uganda alone, it's believed that 16 million people, around 1 in 3 Ugandans, purchase used clothing. Being so dependent is something which President Museveni is extremely eager to change, according to David Bahati, who's the trade minister.

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."

Cotton has long been farmed in Uganda for export, keeping a small amount for domestic use, but Bahati's confident it can be redirected to produce clothes for the national market instead.

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."

News of the ban has upset stall and shop owners at Kampala's Owino market, which has been the heart of the country's secondhand clothes trade for the last three decades.

Peace Mackline, a shop owner, is fully aware of the possible effect.

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."

Consumers are also concerned about the ban, preferring the quality as well as the low cost of used clothes.

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."

Slightly under a third of Ugandans are currently living in poverty, according to the World Bank. It therefore goes without saying that this ban will be opposed by many Ugandans.