President William Ruto has vowed to ban imported shoes into the Country in two years to support the local leather industry facing cheap products from abroad.
During a Sunday service in Kajiado County, he said that Kenya will use its skins to make the products.
Further, he noted that the country’s leathers were being given to dogs while the country was buying alternatives from abroad at exorbitant prices between Kes 20,000 and Kes40,000.
“Within two years, I will ban shoes imported from abroad. We will be making shoes with leather from our cows,” he said.
The Government has allocated nearly Kes2 billion for cowhide treatment to improve the local supply chain and support the industry.
He claimed that farmers who sell their skins for cheap will make more money as a result.
Due to the low prices that goat and cow skins receive at nearby tanneries, local farmers have resorted to tossing them, harming local shoe production.
Strong competition from nations like America and China, among others, whose shoes are far less expensive, has also made producing shows in Kenya less profitable.
