Kenyan President applauds Hela Clothing, Bedi Investments

04 May '21

1 min read

Pic: Shutterstock

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has applauded two apparel makers of the country for identifying opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic last year and saving jobs. EPZ company Hela Clothing and apparel maker Bedi Investments switched to producing PPEs and facemasks, thereby saving 300 and 800 jobs, respectively, the President said on Labour Day.

At the start of the pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) indicated a monthly deficit of 89 million masks globally. Hela Clothing quickly switched its production to facemasks to produce 10 million masks in April and May 2020, thus helping WHO close the deficit, the President said in his speech.

The Kenyan apparel company Bedi Investments witnessed a fall in clothing demand from the US and Europe due to the pandemic. The company began producing PPEs and masks in July 2020 and increased its production to 10,000 PPEs per day. The company operating in Kenya and Uganda not only retained its 800 workers, but also generated 300 new jobs to meet the rising demand, he said.

Bedi Investments fulfils 80 per cent of requirements for PPEs in Kenya and 70 per cent in Uganda.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)

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