The Kaunda suit, consisting of a safari jacket and trousers, has been prohibited.
The Kaunda suit, which became popular due to the efforts of the Kenyan President, William Ruto and the political class has been prohibited.
This particular suit, which was named in the memory of the late Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda had become a favourite clothing piece among political leaders across sub-Saharan Africa.
Moses Wetangula, who is the Speaker of Parliament, had on Tuesday, declared that Kaunda suits and traditional African attires would henceforth, be disallowed in parliament.
The clothing, commonly known as the Mao Zedong suit features no collars and is usually sewn with short sleeves.
According to Wetangula, the suit was banned because of the fact that recent fashion trends now posed a risk to the dress code of the parliament.
He thereafter, went on to declare that a suitable outfit for males should consist of a coat, a collar, a tie, a shirt with sleeves of a considerable length, long pants, socks, shoes, or a service uniform.
The speaker further remarked that for women, a business, formal, or smart casual wardrobe should be worn. The hems of skirts and dresses need to be below the knee and respectable. Wearing sleeveless blouses would not be permitted.
It is not uncommon for MPs to don the Kaunda suit when in parliament, as this style has been recognized in the past.
In response to an issue of parliamentary dress code, Mr Wetangula expressed that the allowance of certain suits had been “partially tolerated” in the past, but the time had presently arrived for this practice to be halted.
In recent times, the Kaunda suit has garnered a lot of attention on social media in Kenya, with President William Ruto donning the style for official engagements.
Reactions on social media to the outlawing of the suit have been varied, with some people querying why an African assembly would forbid an “African attire”, yet others still had been supportive of the measure.
