President Uhuru Kenyatta stepped out for the Jamhuri day celebrations in a red military tunic.

This was not the first time that the Commander in Chief of the armed forces stepped out in military attire, as he did so again in 2016.

Ceremonial Military Dressing

The red tunic that the Head of State donned is a ceremonial military dressing that the CIC can wear during National celebrations.

Kenya's second president, Daniel Moi, wore the ceremonial outfit during the Jamhuri Day of 1980, two years after succeeding Mzee Kenyatta.

Uhuru father and Kenya’s first president, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, donned the ceremonial red-tunic military uniform in 1971.

He was conducting a military parade in Nairobi after an aborted coup.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appeared in public four times putting on the five-star jungle green Commander-in-Chief uniform since his election in 2013.

He first wore the military gear when uniform when he presided over a military function at Archer’s Post in Samburu in September 2014.

Essence of Military Dressing

A month later, he wore the uniform during the Kenya Defense Forces Day at the Kenya Military Academy in Lanet, Nakuru.

He did it again when he attended the Kenya Navy’s 50th-anniversary celebrations in Mombasa in December the same year.

Kenyan soldiers wear the red tunic which they call the service uniform on certain occasions.

These are worn by soldiers in situations where formal dressing is called for. The full-service dress which generally consists of polished black shoes, trousers, a pressed collared shirt and a coat is worn during special events and ceremonies such as state functions, funerals, and weddings.