"We are hoping that the strategy will help the leather sector to regain its competitiveness which made the country an exporter of finished leather products," Mr. Adan Mohamed said.

The strategy now drafted by the authorities should provide a roadmap to realize the full potential of the leather industry in the East African country. This comes after the Ministry of Industry released numbers indicating Kenya is only able to produce 8 million pairs of shoes annually, when it needs an additional 20 million pairs.

"As a result, Kenya is forced to import second-hand shoes from the developed world in order to bridge the deficit," Mr. Adan Mohamed added.

Local authorities confirm the leather industry currently employs 600 000 people directly, in different activities of the value chain. Despite the potential of the footwear and leather goods industry the lack of a sectorial strategy has been a stopper for the “development of a robust leather industry," the authorities added.

The aim is to have a more strategic and structured plan. The Cabinet Secretary underlined that most footwear producers operate alone, hence the need to change the way they operate: "We are therefore urging the leather sector to cluster in groups so that they increase their production efficiency," Mr. Mohamed concluded.