Kenyans are likely to get a second public holiday this month after acting Treasury CS Ukur Yatani wrote to his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i recommending August 26th to be a holiday in the facilitation of the national census.
Yatani said the proposal was aimed at reducing movement in the country so that most citizens can be counted from their homes in the exercise that will officially kick off on August 24.
“We have forwarded our proposal to the Interior cabinet secretary to liaise with the President for consideration to declare August 26 a national holiday to allow for the citizens to be enumerated from the comfort of their own homes,” the acting CS revealed while briefing members of the press on the preparations for the national exercise.
Already, the Ministry of Education has postponed the opening of schools by one week to facilitate the census process. In a circular to all Regional Directors of Education, schools, which were earlier scheduled to open on August 26, will now open on September 2 and close on October 25, 2019.
Matiang’i will have the final say on the matter as he has the legal mandate of declaring a public holiday through a gazette notice. If approved, this will be the second holiday in August after the CS gazetted 12th August as a holiday to celebrate Eid al-Adha.
Information from Pulse has been used in this story.