This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
On August 12th, 2019, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, gazetted Monday as a public holiday to mark the Islamic Festival of Eid ul Adha. This move has sparked a fresh bid by Kenyan atheists to have their own holiday declared.
The president of Atheists in Kenya (AIK), Harrison Mumia, wrote to the State accusing the government of giving special treatment to Christians and Muslims while ignoring minority groups like atheists.
According to Mumia, the declaration of Eid ul Adha as a public holiday amounts to 'religious privilege' that has been enjoyed by dominant religions in Kenya since independence.
He cited the registration of AIK as a society under the Societies Act, Cap 108 on February 17th, 2016, as a significant milestone in the fight for atheist recognition.
Mumia argued that declaring February 17th as an atheist holiday would end the abhorrence faced by atheists from members of dominant religious groups in the country.
