Through the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of the National Government, the government declared Tuesday, August 21, 2018 a public holiday.
Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i said this would allow Kenyans of the Muslim faith mark Eid al Adha.
So what is Eid al-Adha?
This is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year (the other being Eid al-Fitr), and considered the holier of the two.
Also known as the 'feast of sacrifice' Eid al-Adha honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Isaac as an act of obedience to God’s command.
Before Abraham could sacrifice his son, God provided a ram to sacrifice instead.
In commemoration of this in the Islamic religion, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: one third of the share is given to the poor and needy; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbours; and the remaining third is retained by the family.
Eid al-Adha 2018 in Kenya will begin in the evening of Tuesday, 21 August and end in the evening of Wednesday, 22 August.
With Mombasa and the larger Coast region being the region with many Muslim faithful in the country, several religious and political leaders are expected to converge for the feast in various areas.
Sheikh Khalifa Mohamed, the organising secretary of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) hailed the government for announcing Eid al-adha as a public holiday.
#hivisasaoriginal