Kenya Gov't Declares Monday a Public Holiday to Celebrate Utamaduni Day

The government has declared Monday, October 11th a public holiday to mark Utamaduni Day.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in a statement on Wednesday said October 10th, which Kenyans have marked for over 20 years as Moi Day, will now be referred to as Utamaduni Day.

The day has been set aside to celebrate the country’s rich cultural diversity and heritage.

Given that October 10th falls on a Sunday, the holiday was pushed to Monday in line with the Public Holidays Act.

Section 4 of the act states that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it shall be deferred to the succeeding day that is not a public holiday.

“Whereas this day is already conferred by law, this shall be the first time that Utamaduni Day is observed in Kenya and this press release serves to emphasize the need for all citizens to recognize and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of Kenya in a manner that promotes unity, national cohesion and economic progress in the country,” Matiang’i noted.

Following the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, Moi Day was removed from the list of Kenyan national holidays, but the High Court restored it in 2017 as an October 10th public holiday.

Justice George Odunga in his ruling said the scrapping of Moi Day was an illegality and was in contravention of the law.  

As a result, CS Matiang'i announced the holiday’s comeback, and in December 2019, the cabinet approved the renaming of Moi Day to Utamaduni Day.