Teachers and the entire administration staff of Mount Kenya University Rwanda(MKUR) are in total disagreement with Kelly Whickham Hurst’s quote, “If they’re learning, I don’t care what they’re wearing”.
This was proved by a memo that was published and signed by the Vice-Chancellor Designate: Prof. Edwin Odhuno on 13th, March, 2023 titled “appropriate attire and general conduct”.
Sharing the memo to the different university WhatsApp groups was the university Guild President-Ronald Nkusi with a caption, “INTERESTING, according to the university management; no student will be allowed to enter the main gate dressed inappropriately. This is an academic environment so please warn all the girls who come naked to the university to stop kit before they are asked to leave the university to go and change their outfits.”
The word ‘naked’ in the caption sparked off a ‘keyboard’ war as many students questioned their English vocabulary as per the meaning of the word.
William(second name not known) was the first to ask, “You mean people coming to school as if we are back in Eden”?
Adams Kwizera a BMMC(Bachelor of Arts in Media and Mass Communication) student in his final year, commented next inquiring if MKUR had been sold to AUCA(Adventist University of Central Africa) since it is the one known university in Rwanda that restricts how students should dress while at the school campus.
As others were still laughing the memo off with stickers and emojis, another student by the names of Muyisenge Jean Felix posted a comment that had the Dean of Students(DOS)-Kirabo Joyce Kirabo react.
“Why are you trying to take away even the only little things we liked about this school yet there are not many as things stand?”, Felix commented.
According to the DOS, the students handbook clearly states that ‘indecent’ dressing is an abomination in MKUR.
Despite her reaction and response in the chat, female students were not convinced. A one Kawera Jeannette alleged that before doing any official registration at MKUR, she inquired about the dress-code and an administrator whose name she never disclosed assured her that there was none.
“We don’t have such a thing as a dress code, you are all grown ups and can dress however you like; even if you come naked, as long as you come to school and of course, pay the tuition”.
Kawera’s comment was backed up by Hyguette who claimed her mom asked the school administration whether they allowed students to wear make-up and all kinds of ‘dressings’, and they answered YES.
To date, our sources have neither seen nor heard of a student who has been back home for dressing inappropriately.
However, during the just concluded ‘Environmental journalism’ training between MKUR and EAUR students, a student from the latter university spotted one from the former university dressed in what she termed ‘club dressing’.
Un aware of the VC-Designate’ presence, she expressed her ‘surprise’ with a loud comment that the VC-Designate assured her that such ‘dress codes’, are to be banned from the school campus with immediate effect.
