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Related Keywords: athlete, Berlin, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, marathon, Nike, Nike Aeroswift Singlet, Nike Elite Racing Sock, Vienna

Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge succeeded in breaking the two-hour barrier for a marathon in Vienna on October 12. He ran the distance of 26.2 miles (just over 42 kilometres) in one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds.

His existing world record, the two hours, one minute and 39 seconds he achieved in Berlin in 2018, still stands because the Vienna run was not in an open competition and involved 41 athletes running as pacemakers. Nevertheless, the Kenyan runner still said that the feat had made history.

Related Keywords: communication, deaf, gloves, Kenya, language, Smart Textiles, Textiles

An engineer from Kenya has used smart textiles and sensors to create a glove that ‘translates’ sign language to words via an app.

Roy Allela’s niece was born deaf, and he wanted to help the family communicate better.

The Sign-IO gloves have five flex sensors mounted on each finger to quantify how much a finger is bent. They convert the change in bend to electrical resistance – the more the bend, the more the resistance. They then send messages to a program via Bluetooth and a text-to-speech engine vocalises the predicted gestures.

Related Keywords: bales, cotton, hybrid, Kenya, Nairobi, National Biosafety Authority, NBA, report

Kenya on Wednesday announced plans to start commercial growing of Bt cotton, or genetically modified (GM) cotton.

Charles Waturu, Principal Investigator of GM cotton project, said that the government is expected to release the Bt cotton seeds to 1,000 demonstration sites in all parts of cotton growing areas by November.

The official said a final report on the second National Performance Trials that has been going on in the country will be submitted to National Performance Trials Committee by September.

Related Keywords: ATA, bales, cotton, fiber, government, Kenya, Mills, Rivatex, supply chain, Tanzania, Textile, Uganda

The quest to return Kenya’s cotton farming to profitability has received a vital jolt with the recent reopening of textile factories in the country.

Two weeks ago, President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over the official reopening of the Rivatex textile factory with a strong pitch for more cotton growing in the country. Besides the Eldoret-based cotton processor, Thika Cotton Mills, Bedi Investments and Ken Knit factories have also reopened their doors to cotton-processing.

Related Keywords: African countries, agreed to ban import of used clothes, Burundi and South Sudan, comprises of Uganda, EAC, EAC Vision 2050, enhance textile manufacturing sector, from US and UK, head of states in the East African Community, Kenya, presently contributes 8.7 percent, regional Gross Domestic Product to 25 percent by 2032, Rwanda, Tanzania

The African countries to enhance textile manufacturing sector that presently contributes 8.7 percent to the regional Gross Domestic Product to 25 percent by 2032. In March 2016, the head of states in the East African Community (EAC), which comprises of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, had agreed to ban import of used clothes from the US and UK into the region in three years as part of the EAC Vision 2050 and the Industrialization Policy. The countries are hoping that local factories will create much-needed jobs and increase exports.

Related Keywords: aims to rehabilitate Mulungushi Textiles, between Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), expertise in textile industry, factory plans to re-develop, good for Kabwe, Japanese company Marubeni, Kenya, Memorandum of understanding signed, open windows for variety of opportunities, out-grower schemes for cotton, sixth session TICAD in Nairobi

The signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and a Japanese company Marubeni with expertise in the textile industry at the just ended sixth session of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, aims to rehabilitate Mulungushi Textiles Limited is good for Kabwe and the province as a whole.

It is also expected that with the MoU in place, Zambia can buy equipment from Japan to revamp the plant.

Related Keywords: Awassa Textile, export to international market, increase production capacity, install new textile machinery, Kenya, semi finished threads, through loan agreement, undertake expansion project, use on capital expenditure, with Development bank of Ethiopia, working capital

Awassa Textile S.C. plans to undertake a 168 million Birr expansion project at its plant through a loan agreement with the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) that concluded on April 17, 2015. Out of the 168m Birr loan, 134 million Birr will be used on capital expenditure, while the remaining sum is for working capital, said Eyasu Atnafu, general manager of Awassa Textile S.C.

Related Keywords: interest to invest, Kenya, Kenyan textile and apparel sector, LC Waikiki, leading shopping malls, manufacturing hub, operates across globe, Special Economic Zones, Turkey based clothing firm, world class investment location

LC Waikiki, Turkey based clothing firm that operates in over 20 countries across the globe, has expressed its interest to invest in Kenyan textile and apparel sector as it offers a world class investment location with competitive advantage to boost Nairobi’s efforts to grow the textile and apparel sector.

The company is in discussion with leading shopping malls, namely, The Junction, Two Rivers and Garden City, in a bid to acquire retail shops. Kenya is on the charm offensive to win big in the textile sector.

Related Keywords: African countries, CmiA initiative, competitive market, Kenya, Puma, stakeholders, Tanzania, Uganda

With the collapse in the local companies like Puma due to poor quality of imported fabrics, the Kenyan textile industry can stimulate its growth again only when the quality standards in the three African countries viz.Tanzania , Uganda and Kenya is enhanced.

The imports are due to fragile cotton value chain capacity that cannot meet demand in terms of volume, price and quantity.