World Courant
For nearly thirty years, the chaotic, crowded Owino second-hand market within the Ugandan capital has been the cornerstone of Hadija Nakimuli’s life. She helped the widowed shopkeeper construct a home and lift twelve kids.
However a doable authorities ban on the sale of used clothes threatens to sever this important lifeline for Nakimuli and tens of hundreds of sellers like her.
“The place is our future in the event that they cease second-hand garments?” the 62-year-old requested as she rummaged by her stash of underwear, attire, footwear and luggage.
Established in 1971, the sprawling market employs about 80,000 folks, 70 p.c of whom are ladies, in response to Kampala metropolis authorities.
“Apart from college students, my prospects additionally embrace ministers (and) members of parliament who name me to ship garments to their air-conditioned workplaces,” mentioned Joseph Barimugaya, whose stall sells males’s garments.
“This enterprise shouldn’t be tampered with. Everybody advantages, together with the federal government, which receives taxes,” says the daddy of 4.
Every single day, tons of of shoppers squeeze by the slim alleys between the makeshift picket stalls, longing for a cut price.
Right here, a second-hand Pierre Cardin blazer prices 40,000 Ugandan shillings ($11), a fraction of the value of a brand new one.
“As a instructor, I earn lower than 500,000 shillings ($131). If I’ve to purchase a brand new piece of clothes, it means I might spend all my wage on garments,” mentioned Robert Twimukye, 27, whereas buying at Owino on Saturday afternoon.
He is not alone.
Though no official figures can be found, the Uganda Sellers in Used Clothes and Footwear Affiliation estimates that 16 million folks – one in three Ugandans – put on used clothes.
‘The place is our future’: Uganda declares conflict on used garments | Enterprise and Economic system
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