Kenya’s parliament has banned the wearing of an African attire called the Kaunda suit which was named after the late Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, within the building.
The Speaker of Parliament,
Moses Wetangula said Kaunda suits, as well as traditional African clothes, were
not welcome.
Kenyan President William Ruto
often wears them on official occasions and has made the Kaunda suit, a safari
jacket with matching trousers, popular among politicians.
Ruto has worn the suit which is
worn without a tie, sometimes with a short upturned collar.
But earlier this week, the
speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Moses Wetangula said his decision to
ban the suit was due to new fashion trends that threatened the established
parliamentary dress code.
He said a proper dress code for
men “means a coat, a collar, a tie, long-sleeved shirt, long trousers, socks,
shoes, or service uniform”.
“For ladies, business, formal,
or smart casual wear applies. Skirts and dresses should be below knee-length
and decent. Sleeveless blouses are prohibited,” he said.
Wetangula acknowledged that
these suits had been “somehow tolerated” in the past but that it was now time
to change all that amid a threat to the parliamentary dress code.
The banning of the suit has
elicited mixed reactions on social media, with some wondering why “African
attire” would be banned by an African parliament, while others supported it.
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