GOVERNMENT DECLARES WEDNESDAY A PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Written by Whitney Akunga on June 27, 2023
The government has declared Wednesday, June 28th a public holiday to mark Eid-Ul-Adha (Idd-Ul-Azha).
Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki made the announcement on Monday in a gazette notice dated June 26, 2023.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2 (2) and part II of the Schedule, as read with section 3 of the Public Holidays Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares that Wednesday, the 28th June, 2023, shall be a public holiday to mark Eid-Ul-Adha (Idd-Ul-Azha),” reads the gazette notice.
Eid-ul-Adha is used to mark the culmination of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims.
The Mecca pilgrimage is a mandatory religious duty for the religion’s faithful and must be carried out at least once in one’s lifetime by all adult Muslims capable – physically or financially – of undertaking the journey.
The essence of Eid-al-Adha is to retrace the steps of the Prophet Mohammed and the recount of Muslims devotion to God.
The day remembers Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to.