The government has declared Monday, June 17 a public holiday to mark Eid-Ul-Adha (Idd-Ul-Azha). 

Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki made the announcement on Friday in a gazette notice dated June 14, 2024.

“It is notified for the general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2 (1) of the Public Holidays Act, declares Monday, the 17th of June 2024, shall be a public holiday to mark Eid-Al-Adha,” reads the 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.