Despite online speculation that the government could designate Monday, October 24, a holiday to commemorate Diwali, the Interior Ministry has confirmed that the day will not be a public holiday.
Diwali is a Hindu festival with lights, held in the period of October to November.
The Hindu goddess Lakshmi is celebrated on this day, and it also marks the beginning of India’s new financial year.
The festival, considered the most significant in Hinduism, is held during the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartika and lasts for five or six days, depending on the region of India.
There was speculation online, and even offline, that the government could declare Monday, October 24 a public holiday to mark Diwali.
A phony gazette notification declaring Diwali a public holiday has been circulating online in the years prior, notably in 2019 and 2021, forcing Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to release a public statement discrediting the notices.
The Kenyan law says the five days of Diwali may “in every year be public holidays for all persons belonging to the Hindu faith”, and not all Kenyans.
We haven’t heard anything from the Hindu community in Kenya about the Diwali celebrations yet, according to a senior communications officer from the Interior Ministry .
The Hindu population in Kenya, as per official estimates, shows that the community makes up about 0.13 per cent of Kenya’s total population.
There are just two officially recognized public holidays in the whole month of October : Utamaduni Day (formerly known as Moi Day) on October 10 and Mashujaa Day on October 20. (formerly Kenyatta Day).
Kenya has a total of 12 public holidays annually, excluding special occasion holidays gazetted on-need basis by the government.
These include the New Year’s Day holiday on January 1, Labor Day on May 1, Idd-ul-Fitr in early May, Madaraka Day on June 1, Idd-ul-Adha in early July, Utamadauni Day on October 10, Mashujaa Day on October 20, Jamhuri Day on December 12, Christmas Day on December 25, and Boxing Day on January 1. (December 26).
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