No Dreadlocks, Body-Hugging Trousers: KeMU's New Dress Code For Students

The Kenya Methodist University (KeMU) has introduced a dress code policy on its students in what can be seen as an attempt to impose a workplace culture on its student fraternity.

In a memo to students seen by Viral Tea dated Thursday, January 5, the Chartered Christian University based in Meru County with campuses also in Nairobi and Mombasa, banned male and female students from donning attire that would be considered to breach the conduct of the university.

Dr Esther Mbaabu, the Dean of Students at the university urged students to adhere to the new dressing regulations and wear the appropriate attire across all functions involved with the university.

"The Dean of Students wishes to encourage all students to adopt a style of dressing and appearance that would be acceptable in the various fields of work and society in general. All students are required to comply with the University code of dressing and wear appropriate attire during study, at meal times in the dining hall, and in all university functions.

KeMU campus in Nairobi. /FILE

"Therefore, the following, though not exhaustive, would be considered as inappropriate dress and/or appearance," stated Dr Mbaabu in part.

Male students were barred from wearing Rasta/dreadlocks (Wear properly groomed hair), Plaited hair, Earrings, Untucked shirts, Vests that show bare chests as well as Hats/caps in classes and offices.

For female students, tumbo cut (exposing their belly and naval) Bare backs (exposing their backs), Miniskirts (any skirt above the knee line), a skirt whose slits are above the knee line, Dresses/blouse with a neckline running down more than four inches, Body tight trousers and see through clothes were prohibited.

KeMU was founded by the Methodist Church in Kenya (MCK), which first established Kaaga Rural Training Centre for training the community in Agriculture and later the Methodist Training Institute (MTI), which became a centre for training Ministers for the Methodist Church.

In 1984, the Church decided to establish a university in Kaaga, Meru. In 1987, a committee to develop modalities for establishing the university was formed.

In 1995, the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) made an inspection visit to the proposed university and later in June 1997, granted a Letter of Interim Authority to establish Kenya Methodist University. KeMU became a chartered university in June 2006 upon being granted a Charter by the late former President Mwai Kibaki.

Since its inception, the university has continued to grow and develop in terms of academic programmes, student numbers, staff, infrastructure, and campuses to cater for the increasing demand for higher education in Kenya. Currently, the academic programmes are organised within four schools, namely, the School of Business and Economics, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the School of Education and Social Sciences, and the School of Science and Technology. 

KeMU's dress code is seen as an attempt to match the likes of its fellow Christian university, Daystar University, which also has one in line with Christian principles.

Another Christian university with a dress code, though Catholic, is Strathmore University, which has its own officers under the "Fashion police" force.

It went viral on July 14, 2022, when a TikTok user, Swiry Nyar Kano, publicly called them out for denying her entry into the premises as a guest because of her indecent dressing.

The university's Student Mentoring Services administrator revealed to Viral Tea that the strict dress code enforced on students at the institution also applies to guests and staff.