Fancy wearing a Kaunda suit? Not in the Kenyan parliament.

The Kaunda suit has become a favorite attire for African celebrities, elders and politicians in recent years, including one particularly high-profile convert: Kenyan President William Ruto.

A single-breasted safari jacket with short or long sleeves and patch pockets – often worn with matching trousers – was initially made popular in the 1960s by Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first post-colonial president.

But the Kaunda suit was expelled from the Kenyan parliament this week, along with other forms of traditional African clothing and form-fitting clothing for women. Kenya’s Speaker of Parliament has ruled that such clothing violates the parliamentary dress code – which is largely in line with a modern Western work wardrobe.

A fashion trend like the Kaunda suit “does not correspond to the seriousness of the work of the House and its committees,” Moses Wetangula, the speaker of parliament, said in a speech on Tuesday.

The proper attire for men entering parliamentary chambers, he said, is “a jacket, collar, tie, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks and shoes or service uniform.”

The movement caused a scream on social media, with many wondering why proudly African attire would be banned from an African government building in favor of the lawsuits and ties associated with colonial powers.

“Colonialism is really still deeply ingrained in our minds,” says Abdullahi Halakhe, a Kenyan human rights activist. said in a message in Swahili on X, formerly Twitter. He added a link to a story with a photo of the Speaker of Parliament wearing the white wig and cloak that is a holdover from British colonial times.

The flap is supplied as Afrocentric fashion is gaining enormous popularity on the continent and beyond – on catwalks and movie screens and by shoppers attracted to Black culture and style.

The Kenyan speaker also banned hats and caps in parliament and said women should wear business, formal or smart casual clothes with skirts and dresses below the knee. Sleeveless blouses were banned, he added. The rules apply to guests and journalists visiting Parliament, but also to politicians.

“I gave these directions because I was aware that they might cause inconvenience to some of you,” said Mr. Wetangula, 67. “Inconvenience, however, is necessary for the convenience and safety of the members and for the sake of good order .”

One of the most prominent targets of the edict didn’t seem to be listening.

A day after the announcement in Parliament, President Ruto – who publicly wore his first Kaunda suit as president in June this year – met the CEO of NBA Africa while holding a brown Kaunda suit. He attended a government function on Thursday wear a version in sky blue. He has turned heads when he wore a Kaunda suit in pink.

Many modern African leaders have shown that they are aware that voters value politicians who are willing to openly embrace their cultural heritage and traditional dress. Nelson Mandela, as President of South Africabore his signature “Madiba shirts in bold prints, while the former Nigerian president Good luck Jonathan often wore a wide-brimmed fedora hat favored by tribal leaders in his region.

In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame wears clothes made by Rwandan designers Popularize the ‘Made in Rwanda’ campaign.

Mr Kaunda from Zambia, who led his South African nation from 1964 to 1991, adopted the short-sleeved suit as a symbol of African freedom and independence. The style had early roots in Australia and strong similarities to a Chinese silhouette made popular by Chairman Mao.

In banning the Kaunda suits, Mr Wetangula, the Speaker of the Kenyan Parliament, referred to them as ‘Mao Zedong jackets’.

The speaker is a former senator who served as foreign minister a decade ago until he resigned amid corruption allegations. He has been an ally of Mr Ruto, 56, a former deputy president who rose to fame as a shrewd political operator and businessman. He assumed office in September last year, after that winning close elections.

The row over the dress code in Parliament comes amid growing crowds anger and protests over his government’s performancemainly because of the rising costs of food and fuel and rising taxes.

Ruto’s tailor Ashok Sunny said the president’s penchant for Kaunda suits stemmed from a desire to promote local manufacturing and designers.

“He shows that we don’t have to wear suits all day. We can wear the African cut that represents the African look,” said Mr. Sunny said in an interview this year with TV47 in Kenya. He added: “They usually call it the dictator look because most of the old dictators liked the Kaunda suit.”

This is not the first time that sartorial choices have roiled the Kenyan parliament.

Mike Sonko, former senator and governor of Nairobi, was expelled from parliament in 2011 for… wearing sunglasses and stud earrings. Mr Sonko, a flamboyant politician known for his lavish lifestyle, denounced the measure at the time, saying he was dressing like the country’s youth.