Can I Wear Shorts in Kenya? Yes But Here's Why You Shouldn't

Packing for your safari to Kenya can be a daunting task. When preparing what to carry, you will have a lot of questions and one of them will be, “Can I wear shorts in Kenya?”

You can wear shorts in Kenya but only in Private Spaces like your hotel room and in your tour van or car. You will also need to be mindful about where you will be going when wearing them. This is because shorts are frowned upon when worn by either men and women in Kenya and wearing them in public will not be appropriate. In this article, I will talk about the places where wearing shorts is appropriate and the place you should avoid going to when wearing shorts.

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What I mean by shorts

The shorts I’m talking about are those that are above the knees. An example of these is hotpants. Shorts below the knees are completely appropriate and are not what I am talking about in this article.

Why Women Don’t Wear Shorts in Kenya

Most Kenyan women value modesty in dressing. Modesty, for them, is expressed by wearing clothes that do not expose their thighs, shoulders or torso. They, therefore, frown upon anyone wearing something they consider indecent. This cultural norm causes most Kenyan women to stay away from shorts or anything that is very revealing when out in public.

Why Men Don’t Wear Shorts In Kenya

Kenyan Primary School Boy wearing a Short — Here is me when I was in Primary school

All primary schools in Kenya require their students to wear uniforms. The boys, in particular, are required to wear shorts to school and this only changes when they go to highshcool where they are allowed to wear pants. The transition from shorts to pants when going to high school is a moment of pride for many Kenyan boys. Its seen as a transformation from being a boy to being a man. It is for this reason that wearing shorts for a man is considered inappropriate and childish.

Places where shorts are appropriate for tourists in Kenya

You would be free to wear shorts without feeling that you are offending anyone in Kenya in the following places:

The beach and Swimming Pool: Kenyans dress down when they go to the beach. Even though topless swimming is not allowed on the Kenyan beaches, you will find people in swimsuits and the men wearing shorts.
Your Hotel: Hotel staff are generally more used to seeing people dressed in more revealing clothing than the rest of the Kenyan public. I asked a friend of mine who used to work at the Intercontinental Hotel about this. He told me that its commonplace to see men and women in shorts at the restaurant and lounges.
In your tour van if you don’t intend to leave it: This one is a tricky one since you may make stops along the way to your destination and some of these may be in busy towns.

Places where shorts are inappropriate for tourists in Kenya

You definitely want to stay away from the following places if you are wearing shorts when traveling in Kenya.

Religious buildings: If you will be visiting a mosque, church or temple in Kenya, Stay away from shorts or anything that exposes the thighs, shoulders, and chest. The rules there are really strict and you may risk offending the people there enough to be asked to leave.
Markets and Bazaars: There is a saying in one of the Kenyan languages that “every market has its mad-man”. Markets in Kenya are usually really crowded and the sometimes have individuals who may not be as well behaved as the rest of the people. You, therefore risk being harassed if you wear very revealing clothing to a Kenyan Market. I would, therefore, advise you to avoid shorts.
When walking on busy streets. The streets of big towns like Nairobi and Mombasa get really crowded and you, as a foreigner will be very conspicous. To avoid becoming a target for pickpocketers on the streets, try to blend in with the crowd. This starts with what you are wearing and it goes without saying that shorts will not help with that.

More Appropriate Alternatives to shorts

The following are good alternatives to wearing shorts in Kenya

Long Pants
Maxi dresses
Shorts that go below the knee

Other clothes should avoid when in Kenya

As mentioned earlier, any clothing that exposes the thighs and chest may be considered inappropriate in Kenya. These include:

Tank Tops
Skirts cut above the Knee
Crop tops
Open back dresses

Towns are more liberal than villages

Kenyan towns and cities are more liberal with their dressing and will be more accepting of revealing clothes than the villages. City dwellers are also used to dealing with foreigners. They will be less offended if you wore shorts and other clothes they might consider to be revealing.

Can I wear shorts when on Safari?

Yes, you can wear shorts when out on a game drive. You will be in your tour van and the driver and other staff are used to seeing tourists dressed in different ways so they wont be offended. The only challenge with this is the mosquitoes, tsetse flies and other bugs. The National parks have many different bugs and when on a safari game drive, you may encounter some of these. The most comon is the mosquito and they can be really annoying.
Wearing green or brown khaki pants is the best choice when going out on a game drive. Avoid wearing black or blue pants since they attract tsetse flies and might spook the animals if you are in an open tour van.

Can I wear shorts when going on a mission trip?

If you are coming to Kenya to do non-profit or volunteer work, you are likely to be interacting with very conservative communities. It is very important in this case to avoid wearing shorts. You are likely to offend the people you will be serving so its best to avoid wearing any revealing clothing.

Related to mission trips

Can I wear shorts to and from the airport

You can wear shorts when arriving and departing from Kenya without the fear of offending anyone. This is because you will be going from the airport to your hotel and you will not run into any locals before getting to your hotel. So, wear what is comfortable for you and this includes shorts.

A final word

The rules in this guide are not cast in stone and you can even break them without getting in trouble. However, I have written them to give you the Kenyan perspective to dressing and what is considered offensive to the average Kenyan. You might find a number of more liberal-minded Kenyans dressed in shorts but its more likely that they are in urban areas. When you arrive, observe what others around you are wearing and try to adapt yourself around this.