Government Announces 'Official' Fridays Dress Code

The government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared Fridays as Kenyan/African attire day.

As a result, all government officers as well as the general public have been urged to adopt African dress codes on this day in a bid to promote culture and heritage.

In a memo to Directors, Heads of Departments and various units,Tom Amolo, who is the Political and Diplomatic Secretary at the Ministry said that "Africaness" should be used as a tool for diplomacy.

"We brand our nation as much through our choice of attire, as what we may say or do," Amolo wrote.

Amolo called on state officers and all Kenyans to embrace the various African fabrics and fashion styles from wherever they are in Africa or outside.

"The ethos of this re-engagement speaks to an assertion of an affirmative African narrative that defines our Africaness and insists that at its core, its manifestations and reflections - being African is best," he said.

He said that the initiative aimed at increasing awareness on Kenya's culture as well as generate interest in the country's heritage .

"Clothing is a tool for self-expression, social activism and public diplomacy. World leaders often wear traditional clothing to interact with foreign publics and to advance cultural understanding," the memo read in part.

In 2004, the government had introduced a National Dress code, but it flopped after various designers opposed it, terming it a project imposed on people against their will.