Does Kenya Need a National Dress?

 For curiosity sake, A national dress is a form of attire recognized by a nation's citizens as representing its cultural diversity, identity, and history. It fosters national pride, cohesion, and reflects the values and ethos of the country," said Dr. Kiprop Lagat, Director of Culture at the Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Heritage.

The Kenyan government has revived efforts to create a national dress, having allocated Ksh. 100 million for the project. This comes after a previous attempt, which cost Ksh. 50 million, failed, according to Culture, Arts, and Heritage Principal Secretary Ummi Bashir, who referred to it as a flop.

During last year's Utamaduni Day celebrations in Nairobi, PS Bashir announced that a Kenyan national dress would be unveiled by October 2024. "Kenya currently lacks a national dress, but we are working towards one. By next Utamaduni Day, we will have consulted widely and aim to have a dress ready," she said on October 10, 2023. Her statements were supported by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, who committed to ensuring the project would be completed on time.

When addressing the National Assembly's Sports and Culture Committee, Bashir mentioned that the ministry is waiting for the release of the allocated funds to begin the process. Committee Chairperson, Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama, emphasized that this would be the last attempt at establishing a national dress, expressing concerns over the repeated failures.

According to Dr. Lagat, the Ksh. 100 million will fund public participation, the design phase, national validation, and promotion of the dress. However, many Kenyans have voiced their frustration on social media platforms, criticizing the government's misplaced priorities, waste of public funds, and lack of accountability.