Kenya Holidays in December 2026 for US Visitors

KENYA · TRAVEL AND HOLIDAYS

Kenya holidays in December 2026 are Jamhuri Day on Saturday 12 December, Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December, with New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January 2027. The dates come from Kenya’s Public Holidays Act, and because two of them land on Saturdays the festive season brings one long weekend and no extra Monday holiday.

For US visitors the calendar matters more than usual this year, because the State Department raised its Kenya advisory to Level 3, reconsider travel, on 19 October 2026 and cited health risks alongside crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and road safety. Kenya’s health ministry has confirmed nine Ebola cases, all in one cluster, and the state broadcaster KBC reported no new infections on Thursday 22 October.

This guide sets out the holiday dates, what the law does and does not decide, the entry rules, the advisory, and the rail and event dates that fall around the holidays. It does not tell anyone whether to travel, and it flags the points that official sources have not yet settled.

The Three December Holidays and Their Dates

Section 2 of the Public Holidays Act says the days in its schedule are kept as public holidays every year, and the schedule lists Jamhuri Day on 12 December, Christmas on 25 December and Boxing Day on 26 December. New Year’s Day on 1 January is also in the schedule, so Friday 1 January 2027 closes the festive stretch.

In 2026 Jamhuri Day falls on Saturday 12 December, Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December. Because Christmas is a Friday, the long weekend runs from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 December, and the Act gives no extra day on Monday 28 December.

Section 4 of the Act moves a holiday only when it falls on a Sunday, to the first following day that is not a public holiday. No holiday in December 2026 or on 1 January 2027 falls on a Sunday, so the rule does not apply and no Monday is added.

Section 3 lets the Cabinet Secretary declare any other day a public holiday by notice in the Kenya Gazette, the government’s official journal, for the whole country or for part of it. No such notice for December 2026 had been published in the sources we checked on 23 October.

What the Holiday Law Does and Does Not Decide

The Act we read fixes the dates and says nothing about which shops, museums or lodges open, so each business sets its own hours. A venue that is open on an ordinary Saturday may still shut on Christmas Day, so confirm hours by phone or message before you plan a day around it.

Because the Act sets only the dates, check with any office or agency you need before you plan an errand around Friday 25 December or Friday 1 January. Jamhuri Day itself is a Saturday, which means the weekday disruption comes mainly from those two Fridays.

Kenya runs on East Africa Time, UTC+3 all year, which is eight hours ahead of US Eastern time in December once US clocks have gone back on 1 November. A 7 p.m. dinner booking in Nairobi is therefore 11 a.m. Eastern.

Prices quoted in shillings are easiest to judge at about KSh129.9 per US dollar, the market rate on 23 October 2026. A KSh1,000 note (about US$7.70) is therefore a useful unit for tips and small purchases.

Entry Rules to Settle Before You Book

Kenya’s electronic travel authorisation, the eTA, is an online permit issued through the government portal etakenya.go.ke, and the portal says foreign travellers must apply before entering Kenya and may travel only after the government approves the application. The approval must be shown at departure and arrival points.

Normal processing starts at US$30 and is generally completed within three business days (72 hours), while expedited processing adds US$100 and is handled immediately. The portal’s FAQ says the passport must be valid for at least six months and carry at least one blank page.

With the festive rush ahead, apply early, because the portal says processing can take longer than three days when extra checks are needed. Our guide to Kenya visa-free entry explains why landing without a visa gives no right to work.

The Level 3 Advisory and Ebola

The State Department’s advisory now says to reconsider travel to Kenya because of risks to health, crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and traffic safety. It adds that medical services are limited and often unavailable in rural areas.

The health ministry confirmed a ninth case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on Tuesday 20 October, a close relative of the first patient (who died on 5 October), and KBC reported on 22 October that all nine cases belong to one cluster with no evidence of community spread and no new infection. The advice to Americans is to avoid people with symptoms and their bodily fluids, and anyone who falls ill should avoid travel and call a health facility first.

Level 3 is not a ban, and Citizen Digital describes the change as a request to reconsider visiting and not a travel prohibition. Insurance terms and employer travel policies can react to advisory levels, so check both before you pay for non-refundable fares.

The advisory also keeps area-level warnings, including for Nairobi’s Eastleigh and Kibera neighbourhoods, so read the full text on travel.state.gov before you fix a holiday route. Our report on Ebola screening at Nairobi airport covers the arrival checks.

Rail Travel Over the Holidays

Kenya Railways ran an extra Madaraka Express passenger train between Nairobi and Mombasa from 8 December 2025 to 5 January 2026 to meet festive demand, and the Kenya Times reported its times as 9:40 a.m. out of Nairobi and 4:30 p.m. out of Mombasa. Tickets were sold at metickets.krc.co.ke and could be booked up to 60 days ahead.

Passengers need original ID to buy and to board, and must arrive at least an hour before departure. We found no 2026 festive timetable yet, so treat last year’s times as a pattern and not a promise.

Last year’s rules allowed cancellation at least 48 hours ahead for a 30% fee, and one reschedule at least 48 hours ahead for a 10% fee, subject to seat availability. Check that the same terms apply before you book a December seat.

Events Around the Holiday Weekend

Fatboy Slim plays the Muze venue in Nairobi on Friday 11 December, the night before Jamhuri Day, K24 Digital said in its September list of coming concerts. Our Fatboy Slim guide covers the venue and tickets.

SolFest, a December music festival in Nairobi, runs later in the month, and our SolFest guide gives its dates, venues and ticket prices. For a longer stay, the Nairobi city page covers neighbourhoods, transport and local costs.

Event details around the Kenya holidays in December 2026 can still change. Read each ticket page for refund terms before you pay, because a change in the advisory or in the Ebola response could alter how events are run.

What It Means for You

Kenya holidays in December 2026 give you three dates to plan around: Friday 11 December for the pre-holiday weekend, Saturday 12 December for Jamhuri Day, and Friday 25 to Sunday 27 December for Christmas. Book rail seats and lodging early for those windows.

Apply for the eTA early, keep proof of any non-refundable payments, and read the current State Department text and your insurer’s terms before you commit, because the Level 3 rating can affect both. If you live in Kenya, expect Friday 25 December and Friday 1 January 2027 to be the weekday closures, since the other two holidays fall on Saturdays.

What Is Not Known

No Gazette notice adding a December 2026 holiday had been found by 23 October, and Kenya Railways had not published a 2026 festive timetable in the sources we checked. We found no statement from airlines or venues on how they would respond if the Ebola outbreak spreads.

The course of the Ebola outbreak is not known, so the advisory level could change again before 12 December. The portal does not say whether eTA processing slows during the festive rush.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the public holidays in Kenya in December 2026?

Jamhuri Day is Saturday 12 December, Christmas Day is Friday 25 December and Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December. New Year’s Day follows on Friday 1 January 2027.

What does a US visitor need to enter Kenya in December 2026?

US visitors must apply for an electronic travel authorisation at etakenya.go.ke before entering Kenya, which starts at US$30 for normal processing of about three business days. The portal says the passport must be valid for at least six months and carry at least one blank page.

Is it safe to travel to Kenya in December 2026?

The State Department raised its Kenya advisory to Level 3, reconsider travel, on 19 October 2026 because of risks to health, crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and traffic safety. Read the full advisory on travel.state.gov and the latest health guidance before you book.

Sources: Kenya Law, Public Holidays Act, schedule and sections 2 to 4; Kenya Directorate of Immigration Services, eTA portal and FAQs; US State Department, Kenya travel advisory; Citizen Digital, US raises Kenya travel advisory to Level 3, 20 October 2026; KBC, Kenya Ebola cases rise to nine, 20 October 2026; KBC, no new Ebola infections, 22 October 2026; TimesLIVE, advisory wording, 21 October 2026; The Kenya Times, Kenya Railways festive trains, 2 December 2025; K24 Digital, concerts coming to Kenya, 11 September 2026. Exchange rate: KSh129.9 per US dollar, market rate of 23 October 2026.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error