When you walk into the Public Service Ministry in Wandegeya, it is impossible to miss this notice that is titled notice no. 1 of 2017. It was issued by the Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate to all Civil Servants as a reminder of what the Ministry said was the dress code that did not portray a good image and fell below acceptable standards of the community. “Generally, in Uganda and we are talking about generally, that means the majority do not believe in people exposing their body parts which should otherwise be covered. So, and people in Uganda have a perception of what a public officer should look like and this is the image we are trying to protect and preserve.”

Asked why the Ministry was seeking to Police the dress code of Public Servants, this was the response. “We are not saying below the knee, we are saying not above the knee and for one reason; above the knee you what it means? It can also turn into sexual harassment okay. Above the knee, because when you sit you are exposing your thighs which is generally not accepted and it can distract others from work.” There was already an existing guideline on dress code in the Public Service standing orders of 2010. However, it merely stated that a female public officer’s dress had to be neat, respectable and practicable for the work that she did. For males, it is said a public officer should wear neat long trousers, shirt, jacket and neck tie.

The latest policy guideline could be interpreted by a move by the government to Police dressing with a first clue Anti-Pornography Act whose sections that sought to bound women from showing their thighs were removed. The Ministry however, said they were open to hearing from Civil Servants on the new circular. In the rising global trend of multi-culturalism that spread across even to dress codes, It was hardly imaginable that the biggest complaint the Public Service would issue a circular for was the dress code but now they said due to public concerns they had been forced to issue the dress code for the public officers of Uganda.