RITAH NANDERA

Last week Friday 24th The President of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni while commissioning 16 factories at Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park, called upon Ugandans to support him by stopping the importation of second-hand clothes stating that these clothes are for dead people adding that when whites die, they organize the clothes and bring them to Africa.

Museveni said Ugandans can buy clothes that are locally made to support Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU)

This directive has raised worry among Ugandan workers dealing in second-hand clothes who confirmed that this directive if enforced might leave many unemployed.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni last week banned the importation of used garments in the country, saying it stifles the development of local textile industries and that the clothes belonged to dead Westerners.

Like most African countries, Uganda has traditionally imported large quantities of used clothing, which some consumers prefer because it is of a lower cost.

COU FAMILY TV took the initiative to visit some of the traders and sellers in downtown who revealed their unhappiness with the decision made by the president.

These are worried about how they will be able to live a new life if they are to lose their jobs since most of them have families and other responsibilities.

Uganda is a significant producer of cotton but much of it is exported in semi-processed form, with the value of its cotton exports ranging between $26-76 million per year in the decade to 2022, according to Uganda's central bank.

According to Joshua Mawerere the chairperson KACITA youth league, the textile sector is still low, and the farmers who produce cotton are few in Uganda, and yet these few are not being helped to ensure that more cotton is produced in the country.

He added that in terms of revenue, this is going to be so stuff for the importers, also those traders who have loans are likely to fail to pay when their businesses are no more.

 KACITA are now planning to meet all traders dealing in second-hand clothes to forge ways how they can go about the issue at hand.

Some of the traders were happy about the directive, though others have called upon their leaders to be considerate.