Uganda seeking miniskirt ban

Uganda's ethics and integrity minister says miniskirts should be banned - because women wearing them distract drivers and cause traffic accidents.

The Hon. Dr. James Nsaba Buturo told journalists in Kampala that wearing a miniskirt was like walking naked in the streets. "What's wrong with a miniskirt? You can cause an accident because some of our people are weak mentally," he said. Journalists found the minister's comments extremely funny. "Wearing a miniskirt should be regarded as "indecent", which would be punishable under Ugandan law, Buturo said.

And he railed against the dangers facing those inadvertently distracted by short skirts. "If you find a naked person you begin to concentrate on the make-up of that person and yet you are driving," he said. "These days you hardly know who is a mother from a daughter, they are all naked."

According to the minister, indecent dressing is just one of many vices facing Ugandan society. "Theft and embezzlement of public funds, sub-standard service delivery, greed, infidelity, prostitution, homosexuality [and] sectarianism..." he said. Earlier this year, Kampala's Makerere University decided to impose a dress code for women at the institution, our reporter says. The miniskirt and tight trousers ban has yet to be implemented, but our correspondent sought the opinions of women on campus about the minister's opinions. "If one wants to wear a miniskirt, it's ok. If another wants to put on a long skirt, then that's ok," one woman said. But others had more sympathy with Buturo. "I think skimpy things are not good. We are keeping the dignity of Africa as ladies and we have to cover ourselves up," one woman, called Sharon, told our correspondent.