Kenyan top judge waives lawyers' wig dress code

The chief justice of Kenya has lifted the requirement that new members of the bar don traditional ceremonial wigs.

As a legacy of British colonialism, lawyers and judges in Kenya and several other African nations continue to don the customary curled white wigs for ceremonial events.

Chief Justice Martha Koome stated on Wednesday that it had been challenging for them to obtain the wigs because of the large number of attorneys admitted as high court advocates.

She issued a statement in which she stated, "Having been informed of the difficulty on securing periwigs due to the high number of petitioners, I now waive this condition for this specific event."

She said however that those wishing to wear the attire could still do so.

More than 700 lawyers are due to be admitted to the bar in a ceremony to be presided by the chief justice on Friday.