Female public servants have been warned by Uganda’s Ministry for Public Service to dress “decently”, and not to show cleavage.
In a memo titled “Dressing Code for Non-Uniformed Officers in the Public Service”, the introduction reminds employees that they are “required to dress decently and in the generally acceptable standards of the Ugandan community”.
The notice then goes onto say: “It has however been observed that “Public Officers” have continued to dress in a manner that does not portray a good image of the service.”
A list of dress-code rules for female public officers is then mentioned. Pointing out that women are not allowed to wear dresses or skirts that are above the knees, sleeveless blouses or any clothing made out of see-through material.
Women’s pant-suits are allowed, but female public servants will not wear any tight-fitting clothing.
Flat, open shoes are also ruled out, except in cases where one can prove that it is for medical reasons.
The notice also tells women to not have bright hair colours, braids or extensions.
Men are required to wear neat, long-sleeved shirts, jackets and ties – but are not allowed to wear tight trousers.
They are told to keep their hair short and not to wear brightly-coloured clothes.
The Public Service Standing orders on dress-code, with which these rules derive from, were first set in 2010. However, with this firm reminder, it appears that they have not exactly been followed.
