The Government has renamed Utamaduni Day, which is celebrated on October 10 to Mazingira Day.
President William Ruto assented to the piece of legislation amending the Public Holidays Act, paving way for the renaming.
The move has been informed by the need to entrench the culture of making sure Kenyans take care of the environment.
Before signing the bill, President Ruto was appraised on the proposed changes and the factors surrounding the need to have the holiday renamed once again.
“The National Assembly was informed that the name Mazingira Day encompasses aspects of Huduma, Our tradition which is Utamaduni which were in the previous naming,” the briefing stated.
It was also explained that the renaming of the holiday was in line with the government’s initiative of mitigating against the negative effects of Climate Change.
President William Ruto assented to 16 amendments in The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, with one Act being amended being the Public Holidays Act.
This is the third time that the holiday has been renamed. Initially, the day was legally known as Moi Day before being renamed to Huduma day and later on Utamuduni day.
In 2019, Former President Uhuru Kenyatta's Cabinet approved the changing of names from Moi day to Huduma Day to reflect the spirit of serving others engrained in the Kenyan people.
Kenyans later celebrated the holiday as Utamaduni Day for the first time in 2023 in the spirit of appreciating Kenya’s diverse culture.
However, in 2023, Interior Ministry Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, announced the creation of a tree-planting holiday on November 13, 2024, a day when Kenyans were expected to plant trees.
To that effect, Kenyans were expected to plant 100 million trees by the end of the day.
