Do you remember the story of a girl from a rastafarian family in Kibera who was sent away from school due to her dreaded hair? Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has said a Rastafarian girl should be allowed to return to school without having to cut her dreadlocks. The school, while sending her away had ordered her to cut off her dreadlocks before being allowed back.
Amina who was speaking in an interview with a local daily on Tuesday said that the girl “is entitled to education” and “should be allowed back to school”.
“It is not right to interpret to others how they are supposed to live,” she said.
Olympic High School in Nairobi sent the girl home on January 10 and ordered her to report back only after shaving off the dreadlocks, considered part of the Rastafarian religion.
Amina pointed out that the courts have ruled Muslim girls are all allowed to wear headscarves, or hijabs, to school. In 2016, the Appeal Court ruled that hijabs are permitted because the Constitution provides for the right to education as well as freedom of religion and cultural practice.
The court instructed the then Education CS Fred Matiang’i to ensure that school uniform rules do not discriminate against students based on their religion.
The girl’s father, John Mwenda, says his daughter wore dreadlocks in primary school. He is seeking compensation for violation of her rights and wants her allowed to return to school unconditionally without cutting her hair.