Kenya bank holidays 2026 and 2027
Kenya has 21 bank or public holidays listed here between November 2026 and December 2027. Over the year-end peak (1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027) the dates to plan around are: Sat 12 Dec 2026 (Jamhuri Day), Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day), Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day), Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day).
Currency: KES · Time zone: Africa/Nairobi · Subscribe to this calendar (.ics)
Why this matters for prefunding
When Kenya banks or payment rails close, a top-up sent to a local payout partner may not land until the next business day. Remittance demand often rises around the same holidays. Fund the corridor before the closure, sized for the closed days plus your normal top-up lead time. Check your corridor runway.
Holiday calendar
| Date | Holiday | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 8 Nov 2026 | Diwali (Hindu faith only) | public holiday | Expected | Part III of the Act: a holiday only for persons of the Hindu faith, not a general closure. Date depends on the lunar calendar; 8 Nov 2026 is the date India's government uses. |
| Sat 12 Dec 2026 | Jamhuri Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Saturday. The Act's substitution rule covers Sundays only, so no Monday is added. |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Friday. |
| Sat 26 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Saturday; no substitute under the Act. |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Friday. |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Idd-ul-Fitr | public holiday | Expected | Islamic calendar date; depends on moon sighting. Date shown is an estimate from published calendars and can move by a day or more. Part I holiday, so the Sunday rule applies. The Interior Cabinet Secretary gazettes the date. |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | public holiday | Confirmed | |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | public holiday | Confirmed | |
| Sat 1 May 2027 | Labour Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Saturday; no substitute under the Act. |
| Sun 16 May 2027 | Idd-ul-Azha | public holiday | Expected | Islamic calendar date; depends on moon sighting. Date shown is an estimate from published calendars and can move by a day or more. Part II of the Act lists it for persons of the Islamic faith, but the Interior CS has gazetted it nationwide in recent years (e.g. Monday 17 Jun 2024 when Eid fell on a Sunday; Wednesday 27 May 2026). If it falls on Sunday 16 May 2027, a Monday 17 May declaration is possible. |
| Tue 1 Jun 2027 | Madaraka Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Tuesday. |
| Tue 10 Aug 2027 | General Election Day (possible) | public holiday | Expected | IEBC has set the general election for Tuesday 10 Aug 2027. Not yet gazetted as a holiday. In 2022 the Interior Cabinet Secretary gazetted election day (Tuesday 9 Aug 2022) a public holiday under section 2(4) of the Public Holidays Act, so a declaration is likely. Treat as a possible KEPSS closure. |
| Sun 10 Oct 2027 | Mazingira Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Sunday. |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Mazingira Day (observed) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Public Holidays Act section 4: when a Part I holiday falls on a Sunday, the next day that is not already a public holiday is the holiday instead. |
| Wed 20 Oct 2027 | Mashujaa Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Wednesday. |
| Fri 29 Oct 2027 | Diwali (Hindu faith only) | public holiday | Expected | Part III holiday for persons of the Hindu faith only. 29 Oct 2027 is the date India's government uses; Kenya's date may differ. |
| Sun 12 Dec 2027 | Jamhuri Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Sunday. |
| Mon 13 Dec 2027 | Jamhuri Day (observed) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Public Holidays Act section 4: when a Part I holiday falls on a Sunday, the next day that is not already a public holiday is the holiday instead. |
| Sat 25 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Saturday; no substitute under the Act. |
| Sun 26 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Falls on a Sunday. |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (observed) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Public Holidays Act section 4: when a Part I holiday falls on a Sunday, the next day that is not already a public holiday is the holiday instead. Office Holidays does not list this day; the statute does. |
"Expected" means the date depends on an annual declaration or moon sighting and may move. Check the official source before you rely on it.
Payment rails and operating hours
| Rail | Operator | Hours | Runs on holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| KEPSS (Kenya Electronic Payment and Settlement System, RTGS) | Central Bank of Kenya | 07:00 to 19:00 EAT on business days (extended from 08:30 to 16:30 with effect from 1 Jul 2025). Closed on weekends and public holidays. | no source |
| PesaLink | Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), owned by the Kenya Bankers Association | 24/7 | yes source |
| M-PESA | Safaricom | Not stated on the Safaricom pages fetched. Wallet-to-wallet transfers are generally treated as continuous apart from announced maintenance windows, but this was not confirmed from an official source; bank-to-M-PESA and M-PESA-to-bank legs depend on each bank's systems. | unknown source |
Dec 2026 is relatively benign for Kenya: Jamhuri Day and Boxing Day both fall on Saturdays and the Act only substitutes Sunday holidays, so KEPSS closures are Fri 25 Dec 2026 and Fri 1 Jan 2027 plus weekends. KEPSS is closed on weekends and public holidays; PesaLink runs 24/7 including public holidays, so bank-to-bank instant payouts continue while RTGS-funded prefunding and settlement wait for the next business day. Prefund before Thursday 24 Dec 2026 and Thursday 31 Dec 2026. The Interior Cabinet Secretary can gazette extra holidays at short notice (Eid dates, special days). IEBC has set the general election for Tuesday 10 Aug 2027; it has not yet been gazetted as a holiday, but in 2022 the Interior Cabinet Secretary gazetted election day (Tuesday 9 Aug 2022) as a public holiday under section 2(4) of the Public Holidays Act, so a closure on Tuesday 10 Aug 2027 is likely. M-PESA operating hours could not be confirmed from an official Safaricom page in this pass.
Other calendars
Sources
- Public Holidays Act (Cap. 110), revised edition · Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting)
- Extension of operating hours for KEPSS (press release) · Central Bank of Kenya
- National Payments System · Central Bank of Kenya
- About PesaLink · Integrated Payment Services Limited
- M-PESA and your bank · Safaricom
- Monday declared a public holiday (Eid al-Adha 2024) · The Kenya Times
- National Holidays in Kenya in 2027 · Office Holidays
- IEBC unveils key dates ahead of 2027 general election · The Star (Kenya)
- Payment systems in Kenya: complete guide 2026 · IntaSend
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