The Cabinet has renamed Moi Day, a public holiday marked annually on October 10 in honour of former President Daniel Arap Moi, to Huduma Day.
The amendment also proposes the establishment of an Utamaduni Day to celebrate Kenya’s cultural diversity in place of Boxing Day on December 26.
The new Huduma Day holiday is contained in a proposed amendment to the Public Holidays Act presented during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday.
Utamaduni Day was among proposals in the Building Bridges Initiative report launched on November 27.
President Kenyatta stated that Utamaduni Day would enable Kenyans to come together and share different cultural activities that would, in turn, bring about oneness and togetherness.
He called on the public to be proud of their African culture and embrace Utamaduni Day.
“You know I really do not understand what we celebrate on December 26. I feel that is a western holiday and the proposal to change it to Utamaduni day meaning cultural day is much welcomed,” Kenyatta said when he launched the BBI report.
“It will be an opportunity for all of us to traverse this country and enjoy our cultural diversity.”
The majority of Kenyan social media users have expressed outrage and disappointment with the government after the Cabinet approved the renaming of Boxing Day which is celebrated on December 26 to Utamaduni Day.
A section of KOT argued that Boxing Day is an international holiday and thus it was not appropriate for the government to rename it.
A group of the Kenyans on Twitter pointed out that there were more important and urgent matters such as corruption that needed to be addressed instead of renaming a holiday.
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day. It originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire.
