In Kenya, there are several public holidays throughout the year. The following is a list of public holidays in Kenya for 2022. But before we get to the list, let’s examine how public holidays are determined in Kenya.
In Kenya, public holidays are regulated by the Public Holidays Act (Cap. 110 Laws of Kenya).
The Act provides 14 public holidays, including national, religious, and commemorative days.
In addition, the determination of public holidays is the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.
The ministry is tasked with gazetting national holidays through a legal notice.
Now that we’ve looked at how national holidays are determined in Kenya let’s look at the list of public holidays for 2022.
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List of Public Holidays in Kenya – 2022
The list of national holidays in Kenya for 2022 is as follows:
- New Year’s Day – 1st January.
- Good Friday – 15th April.
- Easter Monday – 18th April.
- Labour Day – 1st May.
- Idd ul Fitr – 3rd May.
- Madaraka Day – 1st June.
- Idd-Ul-Azha – 10th July.
- Public Holiday (General Election) – 9th August.
- Moi Day/Utamaduni Day – 10th October.
- Mashujaa Day – 20th October.
- Diwali (Hindu Festival of Lights) – 24th October.
- Jamhuri Day – 12th December.
- Christmas holiday – 25th December.
- Boxing Day – 26th December
Kenya is a beautiful country with many different cultures and traditions. We hope you enjoy your stay here and have a happy holiday!
Working on a Holiday in Kenya
All Kenyan citizens are entitled to annual leave, as stipulated in the Employment Act 2007.
The law provides for a minimum of 21 days of paid annual leave, which an employer may increase to 30 days.
Annual leave must be taken at the end of the year of work unless the employer and employee agree otherwise.
For example, if an employee started work on 1st January 2021, they would be entitled to take their annual leave from 21st December 2021 onwards.
In addition to annual leave, Kenyan workers are entitled to several public holidays.
These include New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day, Madaraka Day, Idd-ul-Fitr, Idd-ul-Adha, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.
Public holidays are usually non-working days, although some employers may require employees to work on public holidays that fall on regular working days.
For example, if Christmas Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, most employees will be given the following Monday off work.
So there you have it – plenty of reasons to look forward to next year! Whatever your plans, we hope you have an excellent 2022.
