Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has maintained that students across the country cannot wear similar uniforms.
Machogu made the remarks when he appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Implementation on Tuesday to respond to claims that his Ministry was hesitant to adopt the proposal fronted by the lawmakers.
The CS explained that different climatic conditions could not allow all pupils and students to wear a standardised uniform since some regions experience immense cold weather while some require light clothes due to high temperatures.
He further explained that different uniforms represented different traditions.
“School uniform has become some kind of tradition. Again, the climatic and weather conditions of this country vary from one place to another," explained the CS.
"If for example, you go to a place like Timboroa where the temperatures can be so low and people require sweaters but the same may not be required in other areas like say Turkana."
The committee had earlier advised the Ministry to develop a policy scuttling cartels from colluding with school principals to force parents to buy the garments from specific shops.
Machogu, however, maintained that he had issued a circular to all schools advising parents not to be cowed by principals' cunning tendencies.
“A circular is not a policy… A circular is a communication of some information from the minister…you can set out a policy on standardisation and production of school uniforms in the country,” advised the committee.
The recommendation to standardise the uniform across the country was brought to the fore by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER).
Public Service CS Moses Kuria had also, in January, advocated for the policy arguing that schools should not be allowed to sell uniforms.
"The Ministry of Education has been very categorical that our schools have no business selling uniforms, our teachers need to focus on academia and helping our children to transition to CBC and other objectives that the ministry has set," Kuria stated in January.
A similar attempt to streamline learning saw all school buses painted yellow.
