Should there be a dress code for council meetings?
THEY came into the Kayunga district council hall ready for the day’s session. The speaker came in moments later. He looked around, as if disturbed. Then he explained the source of his disappointment. He noticed several of the female councillors were “poorly dressed.†They wore mini-skirts and
By Joshua Kato
THEY came into the Kayunga district council hall ready for the day’s session. The speaker came in moments later. He looked around, as if disturbed. Then he explained the source of his disappointment. He noticed several of the female councillors were “poorly dressed.†They wore mini-skirts and dresses that, according to the speaker, were “very provocative and immoral.â€
He took a deep breath before making an announcement: “From today onwards, I am banning councillors who are poorly dressed from accessing the council hall.†He particularly lashed out at female councillors who come for council sessions dressed inappropriately because they are very disturbing and morally wrong,†growled an angry Boniface Bandikubi, the Kayunga speaker.
A few days later, the Nebbi district speaker, Fabiono Obinyo, made the same threat against councillors who come to the council poorly dressed. “This is the last warning. Some of you think you are coming for parties,†he said. Some of the councillors were dressed in bitenge and had untucked shirts.
It is also common to find a councillor dressed in sandals or open shoes that expose their poorly washed feet.
“This week, my speaker suspended three councillors who came to the budget reading session poorly dressed,†says Rashid Mwesigye, Bubandi LC3 chairperson in Bundibugyo. He explained that rules in the council compel councillors to put on clean shirts, trousers and a ties. Mwesigye added: “They are supposed to be exemplary as local leaders. Dressing well is part of being exemplary.â€
There is nothing that directly regulates the dress code for councillors in the standard procedures for local governments. This leaves the transgression of deciding what is proper dressing of councillors to their speakers. The chairperson and speaker have special robes that they wear over their suits, to differentiate them from other councillors.
For men, suits are ideally thought to be the smartest option. Shirts and trousers with a tie are also okay.
“We have got a rule that all councillors, men or women, must wear jackets,†says Jinja municipality mayor Mohamed Kezaala. He boasts: “My council is the smartest in the country.â€
“We also allow councillors who put on kaunda suits,†Kezaala says.
What are the other alternatives?
In Buganda for example, councillors can put on gomesis (Kiganda traditional wear). However, this rarely happens. Instead, most of them put on dresses, skirts and blouses. Fairly older female councillors are known to wear gomesis. One of these is Nnalongo Jennifer Kibuuka, the LC3 at Kassangombe sub-county, Nakaseke district.
However, a gomesi only appeals to councillors in rural areas. It is almost improbable that a female councillor in Kampala will go to a council meeting in a gomesi. “It is definitely out of order for me. I put on dresses that reach at least 10 inches below my knees. That is decent enough,†says a Kawempe division councillor.
In some parts of western Uganda, some female councillors go to the council dressed in their traditional dress. Again, this is decent dressing, but it is not clear if it is ideal for a council meeting. A councillor is rarely expected to wear a kanzu (long tunic) because of its related problems. Occasionally, however, some councillors wear them because “kanzus do not discriminate functions.â€
Some councillors argued that smartness is expensive and they cannot afford it. However, councillors, are paid allowances that can help them buy clothes. In urban areas, councillors earn enough allowances to afford any kind of dressing. In Kampala for example, councillors are paid a basic allowance that is above sh300,000 per month. This is in addition to sitting allowances. Rural area councillors are also paid allowances that can contribute to their smartness.
To debate this story,
send reaction to
or call 0712841688
THEY came into the Kayunga district council hall ready for the day’s session. The speaker came in moments later. He looked around, as if disturbed. Then he explained the source of his disappointment. He noticed several of the female councillors were “poorly dressed.†They wore mini-skirts and dresses that, according to the speaker, were “very provocative and immoral.â€
He took a deep breath before making an announcement: “From today onwards, I am banning councillors who are poorly dressed from accessing the council hall.†He particularly lashed out at female councillors who come for council sessions dressed inappropriately because they are very disturbing and morally wrong,†growled an angry Boniface Bandikubi, the Kayunga speaker.
A few days later, the Nebbi district speaker, Fabiono Obinyo, made the same threat against councillors who come to the council poorly dressed. “This is the last warning. Some of you think you are coming for parties,†he said. Some of the councillors were dressed in bitenge and had untucked shirts.
It is also common to find a councillor dressed in sandals or open shoes that expose their poorly washed feet.
“This week, my speaker suspended three councillors who came to the budget reading session poorly dressed,†says Rashid Mwesigye, Bubandi LC3 chairperson in Bundibugyo. He explained that rules in the council compel councillors to put on clean shirts, trousers and a ties. Mwesigye added: “They are supposed to be exemplary as local leaders. Dressing well is part of being exemplary.â€
There is nothing that directly regulates the dress code for councillors in the standard procedures for local governments. This leaves the transgression of deciding what is proper dressing of councillors to their speakers. The chairperson and speaker have special robes that they wear over their suits, to differentiate them from other councillors.
For men, suits are ideally thought to be the smartest option. Shirts and trousers with a tie are also okay.
“We have got a rule that all councillors, men or women, must wear jackets,†says Jinja municipality mayor Mohamed Kezaala. He boasts: “My council is the smartest in the country.â€
“We also allow councillors who put on kaunda suits,†Kezaala says.
What are the other alternatives?
In Buganda for example, councillors can put on gomesis (Kiganda traditional wear). However, this rarely happens. Instead, most of them put on dresses, skirts and blouses. Fairly older female councillors are known to wear gomesis. One of these is Nnalongo Jennifer Kibuuka, the LC3 at Kassangombe sub-county, Nakaseke district.
However, a gomesi only appeals to councillors in rural areas. It is almost improbable that a female councillor in Kampala will go to a council meeting in a gomesi. “It is definitely out of order for me. I put on dresses that reach at least 10 inches below my knees. That is decent enough,†says a Kawempe division councillor.
In some parts of western Uganda, some female councillors go to the council dressed in their traditional dress. Again, this is decent dressing, but it is not clear if it is ideal for a council meeting. A councillor is rarely expected to wear a kanzu (long tunic) because of its related problems. Occasionally, however, some councillors wear them because “kanzus do not discriminate functions.â€
Some councillors argued that smartness is expensive and they cannot afford it. However, councillors, are paid allowances that can help them buy clothes. In urban areas, councillors earn enough allowances to afford any kind of dressing. In Kampala for example, councillors are paid a basic allowance that is above sh300,000 per month. This is in addition to sitting allowances. Rural area councillors are also paid allowances that can contribute to their smartness.
To debate this story,
send reaction to
or call 0712841688