Ugandan women reassured as Rwanda intensifies crackdown on short dresses

Ugandan women will remain free to wear short dresses without fear of arrest and prosecution over indecent clothing, Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has said.

Kainerugaba reassured on Monday that Uganda will not adopt similar measures as neighboring Rwanda which has since intensified enforcement of public decency rules sparked concern among citizens.

“No one will disturb a woman for wearing a mini. If you do, we shall arrest you without a doubt!!” Kainerugaba posted on X on August 31, 2026.

He later said Uganda would allow women to choose how they dress.

“In Uganda, people can dance and drink until morning. Also, women are allowed to dress anyway they want,” he said.

His comments followed controversy at the Diamond Platnumz Experience concert at the BK Arena parking area in Kigali on August 29, 2026.

Security personnel reportedly denied some women entry because they wore clothes considered too revealing. 

One concertgoer alleged that police officers threatened to detain and assault her over her clothes. She also accused the officers of beating a male friend who intervened.

By Monday, videos started circulating online of women who were detained by Rwandan police for indecent dressing.

Questions have since emerged over whether organisers communicated any clothing restrictions before the concert.

The incident forms part of a wider campaign against conduct that Rwandan authorities consider indecent in public and online.

Police spokesperson Boniface Rutikanga said in August that officers would increase monitoring at bars, nightclubs, entertainment venues and house parties. Police would also monitor content posted on social media platforms such as TikTok.

Authorities have warned that venue owners could face consequences for misconduct on their premises. 

However, police clarified that provocative clothing or entertainment does not automatically constitute an offence. The focus covers conduct considered indecent, disruptive or unlawful.

Rwanda has no formal national dress code. 

Its Penal Code instead criminalises performing an indecent act in public. A conviction carries a prison sentence of between six months and two years.

The law does not specify which clothes qualify as indecent. This has fuelled debate about personal freedom, cultural values and the limits of police authority.

Former Miss Rwanda contestant Pamela Uwicyeza criticised the reported treatment of women.

“A woman’s body is not an invitation for control. No woman should be told what she is ‘allowed’ to wear, and no one deserves violence, humiliation or fear because of her clothing,” Uwicyeza said.

She argued that modesty should remain a personal choice and should not be enforced through intimidation or violence.

Rwanda’s state minister for Youth and Arts, Sandrine Umutoni, called for a broader discussion about fashion, advertising, music and social media.

Umutoni rejected the suggestion that women should bear responsibility for controlling other people’s sexuality by covering their bodies. She instead questioned why commercial and cultural industries continue to use the female body to sell products and ideas.

She also encouraged designers to create a modern Rwandan fashion identity rooted in local fabrics, craftsmanship and culture without rejecting outside influences.

The clothing debate also comes amid Rwanda’s campaign against alcohol abuse and conduct at entertainment venues. President Paul Kagame has criticised excessive drinking, which he described as a “religion of alcohol”.

Ugandan women have welcomed Gen Muhoozi’s reassurance.

Deejay and Media personality Shiela Gashumba wrote, “Thank you Gen. @mkainerugaba  ! People underestimate the kind of freedom we have to dress how we want and to party anytime anyday!!! Let’s enjoy!”