'Schools should not sell uniform,' Trade CS Moses Kuria says as he threatens crackdown

Trade, Investment and Industry Cabinet Secretary (CS) Moses Kuria has questioned the need to have compulsory school uniforms in schools.

Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, the Trade CS opined that school uniforms have little to no effect on learners receiving quality education and hence schools should not institute any type of clothing policy. 

"In America there is no uniform. School uniform inakujia wapi katka mambo ya kusoma na CBC? It is not a necessity," Kuria said in his briefing.

Kuria made the utterances moments after putting on notice schools selling uniforms within their facilities. According to the CS, schools doing so are in breach of the law.

"The Ministry has sent a circular and the Ministry will send another circular today to the schools that parents have got absolute freedom and discretion on where to buy uniforms," said Kuria.

"We are mixing the issue of education with school uniforms because a few people, who are pre-enjoying this space of selling school uniforms, are colluding with schools. When you hear that a school is selling uniforms ask them where their sewing machines and tailors are."

According to Kuria, Kenya's manufacturing sector is missing out on numerous uniform-making opportunities since a number of schools are working in tandem with uniform-makers to sell their products exclusively within their facilities.

"We've got 40,000 primary and secondary schools in the country with a student population of close to fourteen million. So this is a huge market and myself being the minister of investments, trade and industry, I view this as customers," said Kuria.

"This is one major way to awaken our sleeping economy. Our schools are not going to be used as conduits by those people who are used to having it very easy. It is better to have more people at the bottom of the pyramid making uniforms than to have a handful of people doing that business."

The CS added that his Ministry will send out trade officers, to various schools across the country, to ensure that the institutions are conforming to his directive. 

"Schools should not sell uniforms. They are doing it illegally. I am sending out a team; we have trade officers who will go school by school kumulika mwalimu," he said.