The Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage has denied reports indicating that Ksh 100 million has been allocated for the National Dress.
According to the Ministry, reports attributing remarks allegedly made by Principal Secretary Ummi Bashir regarding the matter are false, misleading, and should be disregarded.
“Principal Secretary for Culture, the Arts & Heritage Ummi Bashir has not made any such claims regarding a budgetary allocation for the national dress initiative,” the Ministry stated.
“In fact, no funds have been set aside at this stage. PS Bashir emphasises that she cannot comment on an amount when there is no budget currently allocated for this initiative.” the Ministry reiterated.
While reiterating their commitment to transparency and integrity regarding the matter, the ministry cautioned against sensationalising issues that are still under consideration and yet to be concluded.
The Ministry confirmed that engagements with the public are ongoing to ensure inclusive participation in developing a dress that reflects our national identity.
“However, there is no allocated budget for this process yet,” it explained.
This is not a new initiative; the national dress concept was first introduced in 2004 by former Minister Najib Balala.
