Kenya Public Holidays
Kenya has 12 national public holidays in 2026, observed across the whole country. Over the years covered here the calendar draws on 12 recurring holidays. 8 sit on the same calendar date every year, while 4 move (Islamic (Hijri) calendar and Linked to Easter). The same calendar applies nationwide, with no separate regional public holidays in this dataset.
Which public holidays does Kenya have?
Every recurring national public holiday, how its date is decided, and the date it lands on in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Dates are computed from the rule, so Easter-linked and moon-linked holidays are correct for each individual year.
| Holiday | How the date is set | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's DayMwaka mpya | Fixed date, can shift | |||
| End of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr)Idd-ul-Fitr | Islamic (Hijri) calendar | |||
| Good FridayIjumaa Kuu | Linked to Easter | |||
| Easter MondayJumatatu ya Pasaka | Linked to Easter | |||
| Labour Day | Fixed date, can shift | |||
| Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha)Idd-ul-Azha | Islamic (Hijri) calendar | |||
| Madaraka DaySiku ya Madaraka | Fixed date, can shift | observed, moved | ||
| Mazingira Day | Fixed date, can shift | observed, moved | ||
| Mashujaa DaySiku ya Mashujaa | Fixed date, can shift | |||
| Jamhuri DaySiku ya Jamhuri | Fixed date, can shift | observed, moved | ||
| Christmas DayKrismasi | Fixed date, can shift | |||
| Boxing Day | Fixed date, can shift | observed, moved |
Which Kenyan holidays are national and which are regional?
The 12 holidays above are national: they apply across Kenya rather than in one area only. This dataset holds no separate sub-national calendar for Kenya, so there is no regional layer to add. Individual towns and employers can still mark local days that are not national public holidays, and those are not covered here.
Which holidays move each year, and why?
4 of the 12 recurring holidays land on a different date each year. Here is the rule behind each group.
Fixed date, can shift (8)
The holiday has a fixed calendar date, but an observance rule can move the day off when it falls on a weekend or next to another holiday. In Kenya this covers New Year's Day, Labour Day, Madaraka Day, Mazingira Day and Mashujaa Day, plus 3 more.
Linked to Easter (2)
The date is counted from Easter Sunday, which is the Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon falling on or after 21 March, so it swings between late March and late April. In Kenya this covers Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Islamic (Hijri) calendar (2)
The date follows the Hijri lunar calendar, which is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, so the holiday moves roughly 11 days earlier each year. The final day is confirmed by moon sighting, so no future Hijri date is ever fully fixed and it can move by a day in either direction. In Kenya this covers End of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr) and Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha).
Corrections applied to the Kenya calendar
These dates start from the open date-holidays dataset, which is a good general source but is wrong or incomplete for a number of countries. Every departure from it is listed here with the law or official publication it was checked against, so you can verify it rather than trust it.
| Change | Holiday | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renamed | Moi Day to Mazingira Day | 10 October was Moi Day until 2020, then Utamaduni Day, and has been Mazingira Day since the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act of 26 April 2024 amended the Schedule. The dependency still shows the pre-2020 name. | Public Holidays Act (Cap. 110), Schedule, as amended 26 April 2024Checked 2026-07-27 |
| Removed | Easter Sunday | The Schedule to the Public Holidays Act lists Good Friday and Easter Monday. Easter Sunday is not in it. | Public Holidays Act (Cap. 110), ScheduleChecked 2026-07-27 |
When is the next public holiday in Kenya?
The next 5 holidays on the 2026 calendar.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Mazingira Day | SaturdayWeekend | |
| Mashujaa Day | Tuesday | |
| Jamhuri Day | SaturdayWeekend | |
| Christmas Day | Friday | |
| Boxing Day | SaturdayWeekend |
Kenya public holiday calendars by year
Open a year for the full table with dates, weekdays and long-weekend counts.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Kenya have?
Kenya has 12 national public holidays in 2026 and 12 in 2027. The total can differ from year to year because holidays that fall on a weekend sometimes gain a substitute day, and because moon-based and Easter-based dates occasionally shift in or out of a calendar year.
Which Kenyan public holidays fall on the same date every year?
Eight of them: New Year's Day (January 1), Labour Day (May 1), Madaraka Day (June 1), Mazingira Day (October 10), Mashujaa Day (October 20) and Jamhuri Day (December 12), plus 2 more. These are pinned to a calendar date, so only the weekday changes from year to year.
Which public holidays in Kenya change date each year?
Four do: End of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr), Good Friday, Easter Monday and Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha). The reasons are islamic (hijri) calendar and linked to easter, so the Gregorian date has to be recalculated for every year rather than copied forward.
Are there regional public holidays in Kenya?
This dataset has no separate regional calendar for Kenya, so the national public holidays listed here apply countrywide. Individual towns can still observe local days that are not public holidays nationally.
What happens when a public holiday in Kenya falls on a weekend?
Kenya applies a shift rule to eight of its holidays, so a date landing on a Saturday or Sunday is observed on a nearby weekday instead. New Year's Day, Labour Day, Madaraka Day and Mazingira Day, plus 4 more follow that pattern. We list a moved holiday once, on the day actually taken off, with its calendar date beside it, rather than counting the weekend date and its replacement as two separate holidays.
Where do these Kenyan holiday dates come from?
The dates are computed per year from each holiday's own rule using the open date-holidays dataset. That dataset is wrong or incomplete for Kenya, so 2 corrections have been applied on top of it, each checked against the legislation or the official publication and listed further down this page with its source and the date it was checked.
How to use this page
Public holidays shape the working year in Kenya, closing many offices, banks and public services and shifting the rhythm of travel and shopping. If you are scheduling a delivery, a launch or a meeting with a Kenyan team, the table at the top is the quickest check: it shows every recurring holiday side by side across 2025, 2026 and 2027, so you can see at a glance which dates are stable and which need looking up again next year. Where a holiday falls on a weekend and is taken on another day, it appears once, on the day off, with its calendar date beside it, so the totals here match the official ones rather than double counting.
For a single year with weekday counts and long weekends, open the year page for 2025, 2026 or 2027. To compare countries in one year, the 2026 worldwide overview lists every country we cover side by side. Dates come from the open date-holidays dataset and are recalculated per year from each holiday's rule, with 2 corrections applied on top of it against the Kenyan legislation, listed above with sources. Always confirm official dates with a local authority before you commit to travel or contracts.