Atheists in Kenya Society rubbishes dress-code rules by universities
The Atheists in Kenya Society has sharply criticized the enforcement of dress-code regulations by some universities in the country.
In a statement, the president of the society Mr Harrison Mumia termed the regulations as impractical, saying they don’t give room for flexibility
and expression.
“The policy inadvertently contributes to sexual objectification by making reference to female body parts (tumbo-cut, skin-tight). Girls’ bodies are being treated as dirty, ugly objects that must be covered. The rules seem to suggest that girls should be responsible for how boys view them and that their clothing choices are responsible for boys’ inability to focus or learn,” Mr Mumia said.
Mr Mumia further said the dress code rules do not address the realities of poverty and social class.
Also read: University of Eldoret bans students from wearing minis and sagging trousers
“Some students wear what they can afford and what’s available to them. A short skirt or tight top is not necessarily an attempt to ignore school rules.
We demand that the University of Eldoret cease the enforcement of the dress code rules with immediate effect,” he said.
The remarks comes just days after University of Eldoret issued a memo warning its students against dressing inappropriately within the varsity premises.
Among the dressing that students at the public university have been against are miniskirts, sagging trousers or wearing on clothes for the opposite sex. The university said students who will violate the dress code rule will risk disciplinary action.
Already some students at the university have already been reprimanded for violating the dress-code. Students who showed up to their respective lecture halls were shown the door for not following the new policy.
Also read: Miniskirts, dreads, tumbo cuts; not here! Kenya Methodist University tells students
Prior to that, Kenya Methodist University had dispatched a similar memo warning students to adhere to the institution’s prescribed dress code.
In a memo dated January 5, 2023 and signed by Dr Esther Mbaabu, the Dean of Students at the university, students at the institution were advised against putting on dreadlocks, wearing untucked shirts, tumbo cuts, bare backs and miniskirts among a wide range of dressing styles that the institutions deems inappropriate.
Male students have been prohibited from putting on dreadlocks, plated hair, earrings and wearing untucked shirts. They have also been advised against wearing vests that show their bear chest and attending classes with hats and caps.
On the other hand, female students have been prohibited from wearing tumbo cuts, bare back, miniskirts, body tight trousers and see through clothes. They will also be required not to wear skirts which are above the knee line, skirts whose slit is above the knee line and blouses with necklines that run down more than four inches.
Also read: Karen Nyamu: Why I don’t change my hairstyle