Gov't Declares October 10th a Public Holiday to Mark Utamaduni Day

The government has declared October 10th a public holiday.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in a statement on Friday said the day is set aside to mark Utamaduni Day and urged Kenyans to celebrate their country's cultural diversity.

 “All citizens are reminded to honor the day by recognizing and celebrating the rich cultural diversity of Kenya in a manner that promotes our unity, national cohesion, and economic progress,” said Matiang’i.

October 10th was previously marked as Moi Day until the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution when it was removed from the list of national holidays in Kenya.

But in 2017, High Court Justice George Odunga declared that the scrapping of Moi Day was an illegality and was in contravention of the Public Holidays Act. He ruled that October 10th is still a public holiday.

“I hereby grant a declaration that omission to have the 10th day of October observed as a public holiday is an illegality. I further declare that unless Parliament amends the Act or the minister substitutes for another date, October 10 shall, in each year, continue being a public holiday,” the judge ruled.

Consequently, the government announced the holiday’s comeback, and in December 2019, the cabinet approved the renaming of Moi Day to Utamaduni Day.