| dc.description.abstract | In this project conducted from June 2001 and September 2002, the researcher assesses the impact of international trade liberalization on the textiles and apparel sector. The main aim was to investigate what the SAPs-related reforms undertaken by the Kenya government from 1986 onwards, affected the operations of the sector. However, recourse to the era before the advent of liberalization was found necessary so that a comparison can be made between the two eras.
Literature pertaining the sector, both of international and Kenya-specific nature was reviewed. It was found out that an academic lacuna exists and that this study will attempt to fill it. The gap was that literature that existed was not fully answering the research question: did trade liberalization affect the sector, and if so how? Furthermore, was it the only cause for the dismal performance?
The study relied mainly on secondary collection of data. As the study progressed literature that pertains to how the sector is performing became available from both the public and private sector sources. Thus, there was no need of conducting interviews in the firms or with the farmers. The main explanation was that the study coincided with the new initiative AGOA and so much was being written about it, and currently how the sector is.
The researcher however found out that there is no thorough analysis of the eras before and after trade liberalization. Thus, it became essential to study and analyze both eras and answer the
above research question. What the study found out was that there were other exogenous factors other than an influx of imports into the Kenyan market that led to the dismal performance and collapse of the sector; both the firms and the farmers such factors include bureaucratic policies of the government, high cost of electricity, and lack of adequate raw materials for the firms to process into products among others.
The study therefore concluded that the sector in both eras faced much more complex problems than import surges of textiles and apparel. The researcher recommended policies to help revive the sector. Among others, it was recommended for the establishment of a cotton farmers' union to agitate for their rights and an institution to guarantee quality of the products, privatization of both the Kenya Power and Lighting Company and the CBK to improve service delivery
In conclusion, the study recommended further research in the field since the incomes of Kenyans determine what they purchase. Since the Kenyan economy deteriorated, the demand for locally produced textiles and apparel has reduced leaving the poor to purchase imported, and often cheaper second-hand clothes. The rich on the other hand, purchase imported textiles designer¬apparel. Thus, it was postulated that the skewed income distribution in Kenya could explain why citizens are not buying from local manufacturers. Further research in this field is needed. | en |
