Leveraging on Global Fashion Demand to Enhance Kenya’s Competitiveness and Resilience in Textiles and Apparel Manufacturing

The Textiles and Apparel industry has in the past acted as a catapult for many developing nations towards industrialization. With the global apparel market expected to grow to $2.25 Trillion in 2025 from $1.7 Trillion in 2021, there is a growing demand and without a doubt a massive potential market that Kenya’s Textile & Clothing (T&C) sector ought to tap into as a competitive supplier on it path to industrialization. The purpose of this paper was to analyze ways in which Kenya could leverage on its latent capacities in T&C manufacturing and expand its apparels exports market through increased responsiveness to fashion global trends specifically the fast fashion market. By adopting a Case Study Research Design incorporated with a Survey method and Archival research, the study analyzed strengths and weaknesses in the sector’s value chains, strategies and policies in place and how these either promoted or hampered industrial growth and competitiveness in the sector. The T&C sector being highly globalized also exhibited significant exposure to external shocks; from international price changes to economic crisis to pandemics. This study looked into “Build Back Better” strategies that could help build resilience in the sector specifically in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic thereby reducing its vulnerability to global shocks and resulting to a more self-reliant and self-sufficient model. Key findings from the study revealed a very slow progression in previous strategies, policy recommendations and action plans and the lack of political settlement to act as a growth catalyst for the sector. The study finally sought to propose a “fine tuning” of policy towards a policy model that reflected both value judgement and risk assessment for balanced growth in both its exports and domestic markets supported by a comprehensive institutional framework for the sector.