List of Services You Will Get on Good Friday & Easter Monday (And What You Won't)

As Easter approaches, a large section of the Kenyan workforce is thrilled to enjoy a rare 4-day weekend. The joy of snoozing the alarm clock and justified to do so. On the other spectrum, a good number of investors, stock brokers, and members of the public with investments such as in the Money Market Fund, are not resting easy.

Most are probably questioning whether they will access government services, earn interest on their investments, or even make transactions (deposits or withdrawals) to their various portfolios. Unfortunately, there are no simple or direct answers to those questions.

Easter is a holiday observed by Christians across the world to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday until his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Kenyan Law, however, states that if a holiday falls on Sunday, or any other day which is not a working day, then the following day, in this case Monday, will also be a national holiday.

In this article, we break down service aspects from government offices, the financial sector players, and other general service providers that will be off-limits as well as those that will be accessible.

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Government Offices

It is common knowledge among Kenyans that all government offices remain closed during public holidays, both Good Friday and Easter Monday.

The Public Holidays Act mandates that all government offices are to be closed on public holidays, forbidding service delivery except in situations where heads of government departments override the closure if necessary for the efficient functioning of the departments. These instances include public holidays instituted for special purposes, such as swearing-in ceremonies in which some staff members should be at work to provide facilitations.

The Act recognizes New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Madaraka Day, Eid-ul-Fitr, Mashujaa Day, Jamhuri Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, among others as public holidays.

How to Access Services: However, Kenyans can still access select services on eCitizen, which operates 24/7. These services include making applications (for instance, from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations), applying for them, and making payments electronically.

For crime, all citizens are free to visit police stations across the country, which remain operational through public holidays as well as weekends.

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Banks and Telcoms

By tradition, most businesses, especially in the corporate sector, remain closed during public holidays, alongside schools and the stock market. This means that banks and telecommunications companies, therefore, do not open their offices for in-person cashier transactions.

How to Access Services: For banks, however, their ATMs often remain operational, and customers can access similar services through third-party approved agents.

Telecommunications companies, on the other hand, will continue to serve their customers through their call centers as well as certified mobile money agents.

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Money Market

Stock Market: The entire stock trading in Kenya operates on the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), which opens every working day at 9:31 am and closes at 3:00 pm. Therefore, the simple answer is that NSE will remain closed both on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

According to NSE website, the Nairobi Stock Exchange is to be closed for 11 holidays in 2025.

Money Market Fund: The MMF, a type of mutual fund known as a unit trust, is run by individual players and offers services to customers during working days. Therefore, regardless of how much a client has invested in a money market fund, no interest will be earned in some money market funds.

How to Access: However, mmf clients will still be able to initiate deposits and withdrawals during the public holiday, although the transactions will be completed on the following working day, in this case, Tuesday.

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General Services That Will Be Available

Hospitals: Both public and private hospitals in Kenya operate steadily during public holidays, although some scale down the services offered, mainly handling essential and emergency services, including the accident and emergency department patients.

Restaurants: Kenya is known as a regional leader for its nightlife, making restaurants and nightclubs the main attraction for thrill seekers during public holidays. It is therefore safe to conclude that eateries, restaurants, and nightclubs will remain operational throughout the 4-day Easter weekend.

National Parks: Kenya, a regional leader in its wildlife, has also capitalised on marketing its tourism sector, and national parks remain among the most visited tourist attractions on weekends and during public holidays.

Recently, the Nairobi National Park assured its customers that "our park gates remain open from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm every day, all seven days, weekends, and public holidays included."