When Roselyn Akombe was asked to shave her dreadlocks by her employer
Women might be breaking the glass ceiling and occupying high seats in the corporate world, but many are still finding it hard to break through due to hair discrimination, at least this is according to former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner Roselyn Akombe.
Dr Akombe shared via Twitter how at one time in her career she was asked to cut her dreadlocks in order to be able to represent her former organisation at a conference in Moscow.
She lamented at how if that did not happen her dreadlocks would currently be very long.
“Mine could have been longer than this, by now. But I had to cut them as a condition to represent my former organization at a conference in Moscow! Yes, there is such a thing as hair discrimination.” Tweeted Dr Akombe.
Mine could have been longer than this, by now. But I had to cut them as a condition to represent my former organization at a conference in Moscow! Yes, there is such a thing as hair discrimination @DrLydiahKBosire pic.twitter.com/zEQmu3bePv
— Dr. Roselyn Akombe (@DrRoselynAkombe) April 15, 2020
She however clarified that the former employer was not the IEBC.
Dr Akombe was responding to a post by a tweep identified as Shiro Gaitho who shared her own experience of not being able to get a job due to her dreadlocks.
“Just remembered that time I went for an interview and one of the ladies interviewing me (they were 3 of them) asked me whether I’d cut my locs if I got the job. One had short natural hair, the other a perm, the other a weave. I said no. Didn’t get the job, but I kept my locs,” wrote @shirogaitho.
Kenyans on Twitter had this to say.
At a conference?! As in an event for a few days? Wau.
— The Cultured Cow (@shirogaitho) April 15, 2020
Iebc u mean
— TJ (@TomJuma) April 15, 2020
Nope…I had a life before IEBC. I still do.
— Dr. Roselyn Akombe (@DrRoselynAkombe) April 15, 2020
Couldn’t you have let a colleague of yours do the representation, especially now that your organisation had no problem with the locks?
— Odongo POD (@OdongoPOD) April 16, 2020
Ur locs are sexy cool??
— Diego Mully (@DiegoMuli) April 15, 2020
Wow! Uko msupu mummy!
— Mireri Jr (@mireri_jr25) April 15, 2020
Isn’t this the natural African hair? We are so far from emancipation
— Gathogo G (@gathogog) April 15, 2020