No, Monday October 24 is not a public holiday – Matiang’i.

The government has dismissed a fake photo making rounds on the internet of a purported notice gazetting Monday, October 24, as a public holiday.

The knock-off gazette notice dated October 23 is attributed to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and announces a public holiday without giving any details as to what is being observed.

This is amid speculation since last week as to whether the government would declare Monday a holiday to allow Kenyans to observe the Diwali festival.The Interior ministry on Sunday however trashed the gazette notice as fake and urged Kenyans to ignore it.

Diwali, the five-day ‘Festival of Lights’, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world falls on Monday this year.This is not the first time the government has dismissed fake notices gazetting Diwali as a public holiday.

In 2021 and 2019, the Interior ministry also trashed fake notices declaring the day a nation-wide holiday.Diwali is the most important festival within Hinduism and is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartika.

The celebration marks new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, as well as light over darkness, and is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.In India, it also marks the beginning of the financial year.

Article By Suzy Nyongesa.