Dress code is a rather very controversial issue in Uganda. It seems as if there is no definite definition of short. Different institutions and bodies have come up to determine for themselves how long a dress should be. This particular case in point is an interesting one.
The dress Ms. Namuwanga Rosemary was suspended for wearing literally falls short of a short dress, in the opinion of the public that is debating the issue.
Namuwanga who works as a court clerk and also an interpreter at the Kasangati Magistrates Court, Grade 1 was on the 21st of September, 2017 suspended from her job for “inappropriate dressing”- the suspension letter read.
When invited to appear before the Office of the Permanent Secretary (P.S) of the Judiciary to discuss matters regarding the non – payment of her salary and allowances for July 2017, Namuwanga was clad in a gray dress, that was slightly above the knees, the length, quite difficult to tell if indecent or not, but the judiciary found her dress code irritable.
The dress code, according to the suspension letter, portrays a wrong image of the “Judiciary and Civil Service at large” justifying her suspicion.
“In accordance with the Establishment Notice No. 1 of 2017, this is to suspend you from duty,” reads the suspension letter in part. The notice lays down the dress code standards of the civil servants of the judiciary.
The suspension by the P.S will last a period of two weeks from the 21st September to 4th October.