October 10, 2022, was declared a National holiday which sparked confusion among Kenyans whether it would be marked as Utamaduni Day or Huduma Day.
In his notice, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i urged Kenyans to honour the day by celebrating the rich cultural diversity and firmly called it Utamaduni Day.
However, in the communication, there was no indication of whether any national celebrations had been organised to mark the day as usually is with other national holidays in the country.
"In line with Section 2 (1) and 4 and Part One of the Schedule of Public Holidays Act (Cap 110), and pursuant to the declaration of the High Court of 6th November 2017 (Judicial Review 292 of 2017: Republic vs Cabinet Secretary for Internal Security ex parte Gragory Oriaro Nyauchi & four others), it is hereby notified that Monday, October 10, 2022, will be a public holiday (Utamaduni Day).
"All citizens are reminded to honour the day by recognizing and celebrating the rich cultural diversity of Kenya in a manner that promotes our unity, national cohesion, and economic progress," read the Gazette notice in part.
Difference Between Utamaduni and Huduma Day
Kenya officially renamed the October 10 holiday, which was for years identified as Moi Day, to Huduma Day in 2019 after the approval of former President Daniel Moi.
At the time, Moi sought to have the day celebrated for service and volunteer as opposed to an honour for his 24-year reign as Kenya's second president.
At the time, the state had also sought to name Boxing Day, which falls on December 26, as Utamaduni Day to celebrate Kenya's rich culture.
The plans were, however, quickly scrapped upon realisation that according to global laws, an internationally recognised holiday could not be renamed by a specific country.
The state then re-arranged the celebrations to have Utamaduni Day fall on October 10 and erased Huduma Day from its calendar. In 2019, Utamaduni Day was celebrated on December 26 but was switched to October 10 in 2020 onwards.
Lack of National Events
Unlike other Kenyan National Holidays that are marked by a national event, Kenyans are always left to create private activities to mark Utamaduni Day.
The controversy over the day's celebration dates back to 2002 after Moi's retirement when uproar emerged over its relevance. At some point, the holiday, which was still under Moi's name, was scrapped but a 2017 court ruling brought it back urging bereaved quarters to rename the date to a different holiday.
“I declare that unless and until Parliament amends Schedule 1 of the said Act (Public Holidays Act) or the minister substitutes the same for another date, the 10th of October in each year shall continue being a Public Holiday,” Justice George Odunga made the ruling at the time.
The holiday was re-instated but the state did not give a way forward on how it would be celebrated.
