Kenyan high school bans mothers in mini skirts

Nairobi, March 16 (IANS/EFE) The principal of a Kenyan high school in the western county of Vihiga has prohibited mothers wearing mini skirts or short dresses from entering the educational institution, media reported on Monday.

The school principal explained that short hemlines cause "embarrassment" for boys at the school, according to the Daily Nation newspaper.

"Parents should not embarrass their sons when they visit this school. There is no 'my dress, my choice' here," said Vihiga High School Principal Ezekiel Ayiego, referring to the slogan of last November's major protest in Nairobi to defend a woman's right to dress as she likes.

The protest saw many Kenyan women take to the streets to denounce an attack on a young woman who was publicly stripped of her clothes by male assailants, who claimed that she was dressed "indecently", describing her as a "Jezebel", a biblical name that has come to signify a prostitute.

Ayiego, who is also the president of the Association of Secondary Schools in the area, noted that his school was founded upon Christian values that must be kept intact by "teachers, students and parents".

"As a parent, you must remain simple, humble and smartly dressed," he said.

A total of 75 percent of the Kenyan population is Christian, while 10 percent is Muslim, and many of the inhabitants perceive the miniskirt as an "indecent" custom imported from the West.

--IANS/EFE

ab/bg