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District officials panic over dress code
Ladies in short dresses, one of the inappropriate banned wear. FILE PHOTO
Kayunga- At least nine Kayunga District officials are to face disciplinary action over indecent dressing, Daily Monitor has established.
Without giving names, Mr Benson Humphrey Otim, the acting chief administrative officer (CAO), said the affected staff members had defied a recent directive from the his office, asking them to comply with the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders, 2010.
“Last year, I issued an internal memo in which I reminded all staff to comply with the acceptable dress code, but some of them defied this directive. I have written to them to show cause why they should not face disciplinary action,” Mr Otim said during an interview on Tuesday.
In 2017, the Ministry of Public Service issued guidelines banning sleeveless, transparent and tight clothing for non-uniformed officers in Public Service.
The Public Service permanent secretary, Ms Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, said the guidelines were in line with the Public Service Standing Orders, 2010.
According to Uganda Public Service Standing Orders, all civil servants are required to dress decently and in generally acceptable standards in the Ugandan
The orders, however, do not highlight what would constitute decent, smart and reasonable dressing.
In line with the guidelines, all female members of the public service are required to dress in a skirt or dress that does not stop above the knee, with a smart, long or short-sleeved blouse.
All clothing is expected to cover the cleavage, navel and the back while sleeveless and transparent blouses and dresses were banned.
Also banned are tight-fitting dresses and skirts, flat shoes and coloured hair presented in form of natural, braids and hair extensions.
Female employees are also not allowed to have long nails measuring more than three inches, bright and multi-coloured nail polish and chandelier earrings.
Interdiction
Mr Otim said if the officers are found culpable by the district service commission, they will be interdicted.
This has thrown district staff into panic, prompting male civil servants to put on neat trousers and shirts with neck-ties.
On the other hand, their female counterparts are also wearing long dresses or skirts with blouses.
“We have to comply or else you get into trouble,” one civil servants who preferred anonymity, said.
However, other district staff members suggested that government should provide them with allowances to buy the required attires, saying the salary they get are too little to enable them afford to buy suits and nice shirts and trousers.
