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Made in Kenya

Written by Rodgers Akombe
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
While addressing Kenyans in Minnesota, ODM-K MPs Raila Odinga and Omingo Magara attributed the rise in crime to unemployment. It is ironic,that they used the same forum to sell custom made attire made by Mr. Odinga's personal tailor in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. This simple action, -innocent though it may have been- speaks volumes about Kenyan leaders who preach water while drinking wine. Jobs are not a creation of the government but come as a result of trade. The government’s role is to stimulate growth and create an environment that is conducive for free trade. There are many tailors in Kibera Constituency who will be more that happy to serve their MP Raila Odinga. There is a possibility that one among the thousands of tailors who call Kibera slums their home can do a better job than Raila’s personal tailor in Abidjan. I think it will make sense if Raila and his wife give Kibera residents a chance to work. But I cannot whip Raila too much over this. The belief that foreign made stuff and foreign services are better than Kenyan goods and services is prevalent among our leaders and financially endowed citizens. When Kibaki was involved in an accident, he took a flight to London for treatment denying Kenyan doctors, nurses, pharmacists and hospitals a chance to make a shilling. Recently President Moi took a trip to Germany for treatment after being humiliated by the UK government which denied his son MP Gideon Moi an entry visa making it impossible for him to seek treatment there. It reminds me of the Chadian PM Pascal Yoadimnadji who recently died of a cerebral haemorrhage in a Parisian hospital. It is a shame that Chad had no hospital to take care of this health forcing him to take the long flight to Paris. What is shocking is that those selling the ‘buy made in Kenya, make Kenya rich’ launder their suits in London. Without shame, they brag about it. Some Kenyans are even known to import drinking water from abroad! The mentality that foreigners are better than Kenyans drives our government into dishing out engineering jobs to foreign nationals at the expense of our citizens. Little known to government officials is the little fact that there are many successful Kenyan engineers abroad who would be jobless today had they remained in Kenya. It is time we dealt with notions such as ‘International Standards’ or ‘Foreign Experts’ . We should build our own institutions and give our people a chance to work. Mama Atieno in Kibera Slum, Nairobi, Kenya will be honored to tailor clothes for Raila and Ida. Related Articles: Is KACC past its sell-by date? Kibaki Must Go For Democracy To Prevail Identity and Violence (with apologies to Amartya Sen) State of Kenya: ODM say no to talks, Kalonzo VP , full cabinet list Boeing, Airbus and African Airports Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (23) Subscribe to this comment's feed Show/Hide comments ... written by emmo opoti , March 01, 2007 I am the proud owner of a Raymond's two-button blazer and memories of working textile mills in Western Kenya. Not much cotton in our parts anymore which is another thing the waheshimiwas may spend some of their precious time on. When they finish, they may realise that in prosecuting a made in kenya camapign, just as aggressive as the South African one we just may rescucitate the economiy of large swathes of rural Nyanza and earn the country a lot of forex. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by Amir Ibrahim , March 01, 2007 My mathematics teacher who believed that the African was half animal, a genial and kindly man who always led prayers at school , liked to ask us why it was we had to import needles from China. Lucky emmo has a Kenyan made blazer, I have not even got a Kenyan made pencil. We do need a national branding campaign,I have not seen any of those Magical Kenya adverts although even a cheap well done viral on YouTube would do wonders( for tourism, i.e) Tastefully shot, not with Kenyan 'style'. That said, even with our lack of 'style' we seem a step ahead of Hon. Odinga. No self-respecting Kenyan tailor would put together the horrors he and Ida clother themselves in. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by kenyaonly , March 01, 2007 Am Proud of my user name if that counts, A Kenyan T-Shirt with emblem (even though shirt is made in taiwan) and sahara boots .... The problem with Kenya is that politicians (and their families & friends) have hijacked the Kenyan Market and flooded it with imported stuff thus making the "Made in Kenya" stuff seem to be expensive and therefore we end up buying the cheaper imports sometime of lower quality. I believe given the chance, Kenyan can produce/ manufacture/Make/Build etc given the resources and a ready market for their goods. I am a believer that Jua Kali sector is untapped and there is so much potential in it and should be followed thoroughly if vision 2030 is to be achieved report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by Obamab , March 01, 2007 It is not Kenyan not to like Kenyan made, remember the Sahara, I have a pair, in Kenya Saharas were the thing, why did everyone not have a pair, because Bata closed down and it was too expensive to have a pair. Why did Bata close or why were they expensive, simple the government did not protect the company from cheap imports from elsewhere. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by Kamale , March 01, 2007 Bata is still operational in Limuru the last time I checked! report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Kenyan elite written by Nekessa , March 01, 2007 Unfortunately, many Kenyans cannot afford brand new Kenyan clothes even if they wanted to support the textile industry in Kenya, thus the growth of the mitumba industry. Unfortunate too, that Raila is running for the masses, but they cannot even afford his shirts. They sell for $100! I cannot for the life of me buy a shirt for $100! A reformed socialist? I think not!! report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by Purity , March 01, 2007 I have some made in Kenya t-shirts, vests and I never find a shoe that can fit me in bata. I also have some mali ya abdalla (lesos) from the coast and sandals. I agree with Nekessa, those Kenyan design are too expensive, just see what they came up with as the Kenyan National dress and how much it costs! I am currently looking for Duara's contact (any help here?) As for Raila and his counterparts, I have no idea who told them that trashing your country makes you look good!Maybe dsomeone needs to lend him Erick Wainaina's Daima (Kenya only) report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by donworry , March 01, 2007 Mr Akombe writes a very good article but we must focus our attention back to Raila and Magara's assertion that the rise in crime can be directly attributed to rising unemployment. They are partly right but they have not revealed the full picture. The level of unemployent in our country is alarmingly high. We do not have the safety net of any kind of welfare programme and so its consequences are a threat to the stability of the Nation. Any leader who is thinking of a progressive Kenya must address the issues of rising unemployment and the growing gap between the rich and poor. Those two issues are totally different animals that exist very well side by side in urban Kenya. When you have a growing economy that still generates an ever increasing gap between the top earners and the rest, you are preparing a dangerous recipe for us all. The country remains polarised because the naked glaring inequalities are presented to an increasingly educated and savvy army of jobless people and those in dead end jobs who have no chance of contributing anything meaningful to the economy. Apathy sets in and the result is an increase in corruption, a breakdown in law and order and the emergence of racketeering mafias like the mungiki and others who specialise in protection type operations. We are all familiar by now with the routine: a mungiki salesman appears at a business premises offering security services for a weekly fee. If the business owner declines the offer the firm draws up a contract and a franchisee orders the boys to pay a late-night visit which will include the all too familiar orgy of violence and bloodletting. The salesman will call again next morning and all surviving businesses will quickly sign up to this protection scam. A sort of calm returns to the area. This is being repeated everyday in towns and cities right across the country. This is the cause of rising criminality. The Economy and Crime growing side by side. This government came into power promising to sweep away this menace but mungiki's following has grown over the last five years. It is now impossible for the GoK to deal with them. The arrest of the main leaders does not seem to affect the flow of willing converts. As long as we live in an economy that fosters the ever widening gap between those who have and the rest it does not matter how many jobs are created in the country. We will continue to build more jails and fill them up with murderers alongside petty criminals and we are headed for crime rates like those of the US, Brasil and South Africa, hardly economic basket cases. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Good post Donworry written by Honey , March 01, 2007 Lots of truth, nothing but only the truth. My question: (am sure you have an idea of how the trend can be reversed) what would be the best way to approach this?. How do we get the economic growth to trickle downwards? It is stuck in the richest 5%. I think if this can be resolved, it will be a plus. As of Kenyan wear, they are poorly sewn and designed. One thing I have noticed as I watched other African nationalities is that they put effort and thought while designing their African gear. They have moved away from starchy vitenges to appropriate summer african ware (check my modelling site) The Nigerian designers and other West Africans do a good job. Cloth type: Kente Design: Very modern and well done. I once paid kes 3000 to get a dinner outfit put together in kenya -7 years ago- what was produced looked like a cross between a sack and pillow case. Kenyans lack creativity. Same with their food, all they use corn for is for sembe, yet they could make churizzos, Nachos et cetera. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 re-directed comment written by editor , March 01, 2007 CORRECTION OF MISINFORMATION ON HON. RAILA ODINGA'S SHIRTS Some people have alleged that the "Raila shirts" auctioned at the Minneapolis fundraising dinner were made in Abidjan, Nigeria. They implied that Hon. Raila Odinga is a hypocrite because he has given Nigerians jobs that could be done by Kenyans yet he is decrying the high unemployment under the Kibaki administration. Both the premise and conclusion of this argument is not just false; it is manufactured. THE TRUTH The shirts were designed by Hon. Raila Odinga's tailor from Nigeria, yes, but they are all made/tailored/manufactured in Nairobi, by: BERLTONI FASHION, of P.O. BOX 12273-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: 3754404. It is much better to debate using accurate and true information; not manufactured ones. Be fair! Miguna Miguna report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 re: re-directed comment written by mosaisi , March 01, 2007 Honey, The tailor who gave you a sack for a dress was a 3rd rate one. Recently when I visited Kenya, I got myself a few Kikoi shirts made by one very talented tailor from Kisumo City. I can link you up with her and I bet she will not disappoint. Miguna said, The shirts were designed by Hon. Raila Odinga's tailor from Nigeria, yes, but they are all made/tailored/manufactured in Nairobi, That is exactly what was raising hell about. That Raila has a personal tailor in Nigeria or Ivory Coast is nothing to be proud of. Kenyan leaders should also lead in instilling confidence in Kenyan goods and services. That is what leadership is about. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by Masaa , March 01, 2007 I remeber buying some very well done clothing from kenya .........just cannot remember the brand, but I also know that the clothing which you get at Maasai market for example is good quality for the most part and is home made. But most of you are right, we need to have affordable clothing for the masses which is locally produced.This is where the Jua kali industry needs to come in with its creativity. Mitumbas are surely a tough nut to crack using fair means. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by Kimani , March 01, 2007 I have no problem with Tinga having a foreign tailor or other Kenyans importing goods. It is their money. They should use it the way they see fit. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 on Kikoy/kikoi written by Amina , March 02, 2007 The tailor who gave you a sack for a dress was a 3rd rate one. Recently when I visited Kenya, I got myself a few Kikoi shirts made by one very talented tailor from Kisumo City. I can link you up with her and I bet she will not disappoint. Haven't you heard? We don't own kikoi anymore! On crime in Kenya-- while the Mungiki are the most vicious, they are not the only ones terrorising the country. I agree with Raila that the police force in Kenya in demoralized, after all these thugs are better paid and equiped than they are. Question is, as NARc promised, and failed, will ODM? whether through Raila, or another of its leaders, do they have clear blueprints? funding? finances? report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 ... written by Purity , March 02, 2007 We still have the Kikoy,the govt has gone ahead to stop its patenting in the UK! report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Support Kenya written by Honey , March 03, 2007 For the sake of supporting Kenya, it is a good thing. But at times the way colors are co-ordinated leaves alot to desire. Anyone recall the 'National dress' that was paraded at some international sporting event? It was horrible. The only Kenyan gear I admire is the Turkana. No clothes, just the beads covering what should be covered. Accentuating that with few pieces of cloth can give Kenya one unique beutiful national dress. Men can make do with Masai shuka although it must be made to go with underwear too, literally. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Working nation written by GG , March 03, 2007 Miguna, Are there no designers in Kenya? This is a betrayal to the many Kenyan entrepreneurs. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Support made in Kenya written by Ken Thumbi , March 03, 2007 This sounds a little more than just garments, aaah! yes! Nostalgia is remembering Kikomi, Raymond's, when we produced silk, curios that were locally made, oh! by the way I am sure you have by now seen curios and Kiondoos made in China, well I have a couple of Masai models. Made in China!! we are strange bunch indeed, we do love what is 'foreign' from T.v shows, movies, cars, music, clothing, football, etc etc and only raise concern when somebody elsewhere exploits what we have proved to be 'incapable' of exploiting... what next, sugar? (oops thats gone), leaving EABL our pride and joy?? nothing personal just a little venting, but if you can prove me wrong, please share your thoughts!!! Still on clothing industry, I would like someone to analyze the issues with mitumba being sold locally. The other day I almost fell off my chair when some fellow was yelling that Mitumba should not be taxed and in fact should be embraced!! if China or Indonesia can manufacture clothing for a fraction of the price it is in the US, therefore tearing apart the local US clothing Industry. The same Asian clothing suppliers stock Wall mart and the like. The consumer buys excessively because, honestly it is bloody cheap. If stuff is this cheap you tend to buy what you do not need and therefore "donate" used clothing, which in turn gets 'diverted' to Kikosh. Tell me what the local Kenyan industry can do to compete?? oh! by the way I have jumpers or sweaters hand knitted by a local womens group... now that is my two cents worth report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Simple minds written by Kara , March 08, 2007 The arguments fronted in this article and many of the responses therein emanate from simplistic thinking. Kenyans abroad would vehemently refute it if they were accused of being less patriotic than those at home. Most Kenyans abroad are there (not home) by choice—Raila has chosen a foreign tailor. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Made in Kenya written by Susan , July 03, 2007 I landed on this website while searching for Tinga Tinga T-Shirts made in Kenya which I have been wanting to import out here in Europe. Everytime I travel home to Nairobi I buy these T-Shirts for my family and myself. The quality is just great! please tell me that their really made in Kenya!! How can I contact the manufacturer and purchase in wholesale while supporting my Kenya. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1 Business inquiry written by aeichener , July 03, 2007 Sweet question. :-) The easiest access would be to contact the Export Promotion Council, whose job is exactly to mediate such contacts. Some of their staff sleep under their desks, as we have just experienced, but their CEO Matanda Wabuyele is very diligent, energetic, and helpful. Write him an email to "chiefexe -at- epc.or.ke", and then follow up with a phone call to his very nice assistant and office secretary Mary Ogutu. I think you'll be well served then. Good luck, Alexander report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 specialization written by Mkenya , July 04, 2007 lETS IMPROVE OUR EFFICEINCY BY CONCENTRATING ON WHAT WE ARE GOOD AT THEN IMPORTING WHAT OTHERS ARE BEST AT , WE SIMPLY CANT MANUFACTURE EVERYTHING LET NIGERIANS BUY AKALA FROM KENYA AND WE AGBADAS, THAT IS WHAT GLOBAL ECONOMY IS. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Residential Commercial Developments written by vahila , July 18, 2008 please add our website report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0 Show/Hide comment form Write comment Name Email Title Comment smaller \| bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters
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