Ruto to Ban Imported Shoes in 2 Years to Support Local Leather Industry

President William Ruto will ban imported shoes in two years to support the local leather industry that has been facing cheap products from abroad.

The country will employ its own skins to create the goods, according to the Head of State.

He claimed that the country’s leathers were being given to dogs while it was spending outrageous amounts of money—between Sh20,000 and Sh40,000—to import substitutes from overseas.

“Within the next two years, I will ban shoes imported from abroad. We will be making shoes with leather from our cows,” President Ruto said on Sunday during a Sunday service in Kajiado County.

The Government has allotted over Sh2 billion to treat cowhide and enhance the local supply chain in order to assist the business.

Ruto stated that doing this will boost the income of farmers who currently sell their hides for dirt cheap prices.

Due to the low prices that goat and cow skins receive at nearby tanneries, local farmers have resorted to tossing them, which has harmed local shoe production.

Strong competition from countries like America and China, among others, whose shoes are far less expensive, has also made the business of producing shows in Kenya less profitable.