The Kenya Association of Manufacturers has released a list of seven local manufacturers who will produce the material (Non-Woven Polypropylene), needed to manufacture 3-ply face masks with high filtration ability.
Another 10 are woven and knitted fabrics manufacturers, as local producers join efforts to meet the high demand of items needed to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Non-woven fabrics manufacturers are Ecobags Industries Limited(Nairobi), Fab non-woven Kenya(Eldoret), Foam mattress Limited (Kisumu), JumboNile (Kisumu) and Kenafric industries,NES polypack and Packaging Industries Limited, all based at Nairobi Industrial Area.
Woven and knitted fabrics manufacturers are Alpha Knits Limited(Ruiru), Bedi Investments Limited (Nakuru), Chalange Industries (Nairobi),Ken-Knit (Kenya) Ltd-Eldoret, Nakuru Blankets and Rivatex (East Afric-Eldoret).
Others are Spinners & Spinners (Ruiru),Sunflag Textiles and Knitwear(Nairobi) Supra Textiles (Nairobi) and Thika Cloth Mills.
The masks shall be used by both medical personnel and the general public as the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.
KAM will work with Kenya Fashion Council (KFC) to incorporate small businesses in fashion design and tailoring across the country, who will sew masks to meet local demand.
CEO Phylis Wakiaga says the manufacturing sector is committed to support various on-going initiatives to mitigate the spread of the virus throughout the country.
“This includes the continued production of essential goods and services whilst remaining ethical and fair in pricing to enable, especially SMEs and those whose daily wage will be greatly impacted by the pandemic,” Wakiaga said.
Local manufacturers have also increased their production of the critical items to meet the increasing demand, she said.
Face masks are one of the many critical non-pharmaceutical supplies that local industries have the capacity to produce for use by healthcare providers and the public.
Industrialization , Trade and Enterprise Development CS Betty Maina has acknowledged Kenyan manufacturers’ capacity to produce the critical items.
“ We shall work with Kenyan manufacturers to produce as much of the critical medical items as we can locally, to bridge the shortage of materials,” she said.
The CS said production of these items shall begin immediately.
“We shall immediately commence the production of fabric to be used to sew 60 million masks. The fabric shall then be sold to tailors all over the country to make them accessible to all citizens,” Maina said.
Kebs is expected to test other medical supplies including protective footwear and ventilator prototypes currently under development, full-body suits, headgears, protective footwear, hospital scrubs, hospital linen and surgical gloves.
The body has made available the standards on COVID-19 items for free, and shall give priority to samples related to the pandemic and reduced turnaround time for giving back results.
KAM has been engaging the government on measures to combat the impact of COVID-19 to the country, following its announcement as a global pandemic.
One of the association's key asks has been the need to forge the resilience of local industries, especially SMEs by enhancing the local value chain - from raw materials to finished products.
“By doing so, we can ensure the continued production of food and other essential items needed in the country,” said Wakiaga.
According to the CEO, working with KFC will also give SMEs in the textiles and apparels sector an opportunity to seal gaps in the local value chain, as all stakeholders work together to curb the spread of the virus.