The government has announced plans to launch a harmonized national dress by October 2024.

Speaking during the inaugural Utamaduni Day celebrations, State Department for the Arts and Heritage Principal Secretary Ummi Bashir said that the plan will be actualized by October 10.

Bashir said the department will consult widely before unveiling the outfit.

“Kenya does not have a national dress, do we ? That is something that we are working on and we promise that by next Utamaduni Day, we will consult and we vow to at least have a Kenyan National Dress by then,” Bashir stated.

On his part, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, echoed Bashir’s sentiments, expressing the government’s commitment to the success of the national dress project.

“I assure you that we will work day and night to ensure that next time we shall have [a] national dress,” Koskei stated.

The public holiday set for October 10, formerly known as Moi Day — named after Kenya’s second President — was first renamed Huduma Day and later Utamaduni Day in 2020 following the Statute Miscellaneous Amendments Act No. 29 of 2020 to honor and celebrate Kenya’s rich cultural diversity.