Gazette notice declaring a holiday on Thursday is fake - Ministry

The Ministry of Interior under Cabinet Secretary (CS) Fred Matiang'i has dismissed reports that Thursday, November 4, 2021 is a public holiday.

In a statement via their official Twitter handle, the ministry said that the gazette notice doing rounds on social media is fake.

“The government has not declared a public holiday on Thursday November 4, 2021. The purported gazette notice declaring a holiday is fake!,” reads the statement from the Ministry of Interior.

Diwali

November 4, 2021 is a holiday for the Hindu community across the world to mark Diwali also known as the ‘festival of lights.

In Kenya, Diwali has not yet been gazetted as a public holiday. However, Kenyan Hindus are allowed to mark this day by taking a day off from work and school to observe the important festival.

Lasting over five days, the holiday is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs worldwide. The name of this festival is derived from ‘avali,’ which means ‘row,’ and ‘deepa,’ meaning ‘clay lamps.’

When merged, these words mean ‘a row of lights.’ For this reason, lights are symbolic of this festival and Indians go overboard with sparklers and fireworks to fuel the inner light that spiritually protects them from the darkness.