By Winnie Kamau
Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya’s Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu reaffirmed that students across the country should not be forced to wear identical uniforms.
He made this statement while appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Implementation, addressing concerns that his Ministry was hesitant to adopt a proposal from lawmakers.
Machogu stated that it is not feasible for all students to wear standardized uniforms due to the varying climatic conditions in different regions.
“Some areas experience extremely cold weather, while others require lighter clothing due to high temperatures” noted the CS and emphasized that diverse uniforms represent different cultures.
CS Machogu’s stance on school uniforms
“School uniforms have become some kind of tradition. Again, the climatic and weather conditions of this country vary from one place to another. If, for example, you go to a place like Timboroa where temperatures can be very low and people need sweaters, the same may not be necessary in other areas like Turkana” he explained.
The committee had previously recommended that the Ministry create a policy to prevent cartels from colluding with school principals to force parents to buy uniforms from specific stores.
However, Machogu insisted that he had issued a circular to schools advising parents not to be coerced by principals.
The committee pointed out that a circular is not a policy and recommended setting up a policy for standardizing and producing school uniforms nationwide.
The push to standardize uniforms across the country originated from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER).
A similar attempt to standardize learning led to all school buses being painted yellow.
The School uniform conversation which had stemmed earlier last year had been brushed off by former CS Education the late Prof. George Magoha who had stated that “School uniforms are essential for students to learn in a disciplined and orderly environment. School uniforms help to instill a sense of pride and belonging in students”.
Public Service CS Moses Kuria also advocated for this policy in January, emphasizing that schools should not engage in selling uniforms.
“The Ministry of Education has been very categorical that our schools have no business selling uniforms; our teachers need to focus on academia and helping our children transition to CBC and other ministry objectives” said Moses.
A recent media report from the National Assembly committee on Implementation is dissatisfied with measures the Ministry of Education has taken to promote standardization and liberalization in school uniform production.
The committee, which was chaired by Memusi Kanchory, said a policy is required to liberalize school uniforms as opposed to the Ministry only working with circulars, which is a form of communication that parents may not access.
The National Assembly passed a Resolution on Standardization and Production of School Uniforms on March 8, 2023, following a Motion by Gathoni Wamuchomba requesting the House’s intervention to address the rising cost of school uniforms, which she described as “prohibitively expensive.”
