County workers in Taita Taveta will be required to dress 'decently', the new government has said.
According to Philemon Mwaisaka, the county chief of staff
and Governor Granton Samboja's private secretary, the new code will see the
employees dress 'decently'.
The former permanent secretary said male workers would be
required to put on suits and ties while on duty while the female staff would
not be allowed to put on 'provocative dresses'.
In a meeting with outgoing county executive committee
members and chief officers, Mr Mwaisaka warned that workers who fail to adhere
to the new rules and regulations would face disciplinary action.
"We want to move away from the past where staff used to
dress poorly. We have introduced the new dress code to ensure decorum in the
public service.
"There will be no excuse for not being smart while on
duty. There are cheap suits and ties for workers who might not have them,"
said the former district commissioner.
Mwaisaka also said the new administration would not tolerate
lateness and truancy among the county staff.
"It will not be business as usual for county staff who
report to work late as they will be disciplined."
County workers and local residents have received the
directive on the new dress code with mixed feelings.
Some described the order as too harsh and unattainable,
especially among junior workers.
A cross section of the workers said the new dress code would
not work.
"We are not opposed to the new law. The new
administration should know that suits are expensive and unaffordable to the junior
staff who earn meagre salaries," one of them said.
"We don't expect field officers and engineers to put on
suits as they are always in the field inspecting development projects. Some of
us deal with machines and the new dress code will not work," another one
said.
