Muslims in Kenya split on when Ramadan should start April 2, 2022 or April 3, 2022

For a majority of the world, Saturday April 2 marks the first day of Ramadan - the holy month of fasting, prayer, generosity and charity.

On Friday, April 1 Sheikh Jamaluddin Osman, Imam at Jamia Mosque in Nairobi announced he had sighted the crescent of the new moon while Senior Principal Kadhi Sheikh Twalib Mohamed disagreed saying, the crescent was yet to be sighted in Kenya.

"On behalf of Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Muhdhar, I would like to inform all Kenyans that the crescent was not sighted in the country, therefore April 2, will be the 30th day of Sha^ban while April 3 will be the first day of Ramadan," said Sheikh Twalib.

How do Muslims determine when Ramadan starts?

Sha^ban is the eighth month on the Islamic calendar and the last lunar month before Ramadan, so Muslims determine in it when the first day of Ramadan fasting should be.

The confusion seems to stem from the orbit of the moon around the earth which can take up to three days for the whole world to actually see the crescent for the first time each month, even after clouds have cleared.

On April 1, telescopes were lined up at observatories to scan the clear blue skies for the first hint of the crescent of the new moon before reports came in that it had been seen in Sudair, Saudi Arabia.

A Muslim man reads from the Koran at a Mosque in Nairobi on May 17, 2018 during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. (Photo by SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

Saudi Arabia's Umm al-Qura Calendar had already predicted Ramadan to start on April 2, 2022. Umm al-Qura is a civil islamic calendrical system used in Saudi Arabia.

The Umm al-Qura Calendar is used by the government for civil purposes, with its dates determined at the Institute of Astronomical & Geophysical Research in Riyadh.

It says the month will finish on May 1, with the next month (Shawwal) starting on May 2 with the three-day festivities of Eid al-Fitr.