Confusion as Kenyan Flag Appears Upside Down at IGAD Meeting

During an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) event attended by President William Ruto, a group of Kenyans was perplexed when photos shared by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed the Kenyan flag flying upside down.

Despite the anomaly, Duale commended President Ruto for facilitating political dialogue between two conflicting parties in Sudan, as highlighted in the shared images.

Ideally, the Kenyan flag should be flown with Black colour at the top and green at the bottom but in the recent case, the green appeared at the top.

The Kenyan Constitution lacks clarity on whether deviating from the standard flag display carries a specific meaning, unlike some other nations.

While the National Flag, Emblems, and Names Act prohibits unauthorized flag display by individuals, it does not provide guidelines on how clothing with the flag should be presented.

A section of the Constitution emphasizes the prohibition of displaying any flag or banner without authorization, without specifying the manner in which clothing featuring the flag should be exhibited.

“Any person who contravenes subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both such fine and such imprisonment.”

The black colour on the flag represents the people while red represents the bloodshed in the fight for independence. Green stands for the fertility of the land while white represents peace.

Meaning of Inverted Flag in Other Countries

Globally, inverted flags have for many decades been used by sailors to signal that the ship’s crew was in distress and need of assistance. The US, for instance, acknowledges the reason in its Constitution indicating that flags should not appear upside down “except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”

The inverted flag served as a signal among travelers, indicating that a ship had been seized by foreign forces, often terrorists.

Globally, protesters utilized the inverted flag as a form of dissent, expressing disagreement with governmental decisions. However, in countries like Thailand or Japan, the inverted flag holds no specific significance.