The government has declared Monday, October 11th a public holiday to mark Utamaduni Day.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in a statement on Wednesday said October 10th, which Kenyans have marked for over 20 years as Moi Day, will now be referred to as Utamaduni Day.
The day has been set aside to celebrate the country’s rich cultural diversity and heritage.
Given that October 10th falls on a Sunday, the holiday was pushed to Monday in line with the Public Holidays Act.
Section 4 of the act states that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it shall be deferred to the succeeding day that is not a public holiday.
“Whereas this day is already conferred by law, this shall be the first time that Utamaduni Day is observed in Kenya and this press release serves to emphasize the need for all citizens to recognize and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of Kenya in a manner that promotes unity, national cohesion and economic progress in the country,” Matiang’i noted.
Following the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, Moi Day was removed from the list of Kenyan national holidays, but the High Court restored it in 2017 as an October 10th public holiday.
Justice George Odunga in his ruling said the scrapping of Moi Day was an illegality and was in contravention of the law.
As a result, CS Matiang’i announced the holiday’s comeback, and in December 2019, the cabinet approved the renaming of Moi Day to Utamaduni Day.
“Utamaduni Day” na huku…
“Utamaduni Day” na huku tungali tukiabudu lugha ya Kiingereza hata kuliko Waingereza wenyewe, tungali tukiyatumia majina yanayotokana na ukoloni baada ya kupata uhuru 12/12/1963! Tungali tukiabudu “miungu” ya kigeni!
Yatubidi tujitahidi 2022 wakati tutakapokuwa na siku nyingine kama hii ya kuadhimisha utamaduni wetu kwa:
1. Kutupilia mbali majina yote yaliyo na asili ya kutawaliwa.
2. Kutupilia mbali imani za kigeni kama ile ya Mwana wa Mariamu na ile nyingine ya Mwana wa Amina.
3. Kutupilia mbali utumiaji wa lugha ya kikoloni (Kiingereza) kwenye bunge jipya la 2022.
4. Kutilia mkazo mavazi yetu ya kitaifa kama vile nchi za Magharibi ya bara letu zinavyofanya.
Time to see food festivals…
Time to see food festivals featuring all ethnic dishes and other cultural artifacts! This should be done in all major towns or ALL towns on this day where Kenyans can go out and buy (aka sample) these. We celebrate our diversity through our foods, our culture, our dresses, our language etc…
UTUMWA or UTAMANDUNI-So…
UTUMWA or UTAMANDUNI-So-called president,mwizi Muigai and interior minister,mwizi Okengo must clarify.Hungry bongoinzi billionaires will celebrate the useless day while re-paying shs 730b stolen by Uhuru led elites per year.It used to be called muuaji Moi Day to mark a continuation of servicingj of loans looted by elite gangsters.Muuaji Moi had declared-NITAFUATA NYAYO ZA MZEE simply translating to CORRUPTION & POLITICAL MURDERS TO CONTINUE.But gaidi Moi added destruction of economic avenues to corruption.
Utamaduni Day? From MOI day?…
Utamaduni Day? From MOI day?
Why don’t we call it killer’s and corruptions day, coz that’s what MOI was.
Let’s not try to justify HYENAS VIP club.
Truth be told. Why don’t we call it SUFFERERS DAY, after all those who were killed and tortured by JOMO KENYATTA and MOI?
COMRADES, let’s not forget about Tom Mboya, JM kariuki, Bishop Muge,Ouko, Matiba, Kagia, KIMATHI, Pio, Karumba,ETC etc.
Why are we glorifying murderers, thugs, politicians with no empathy??
UJINGA tutawacha lini??
What rich cultural diversity…
What rich cultural diversity do we have to celebrate? If it were 100 year ago,there probably could some rich heritage. The proper word should be celebrating /mourning the demise of our rich cultural heritage.Iam not going to pass my judgement and tell you what she should do,but consider the following and tell me if our heritage is still intact:
1) We seem to be ashamed of your names.We call ourselves,Michael, Elizabeth, Elliot, Hitler,Lucy…
2) Our men and women lighten their skin to resemble mzungus,and women dont want natural afros anymore
3)We seem at home and proud to use mzungus language.
4)In Kenya we pretty much dress like the Brits,or Americans. Here Naijas are ahead of us”culturally”
5) Circumcising women .Illegal now.
6)We watch premier league in Europe more than our own soccer teams,and also know more about them.
7) we call religions of our fore fathers false religions
8) Our music now days sounds foreign
I could go on and on,but you get the idea. And it is disingenuous to act like we still practice most of the customs,and traditions our forefathers,and mothers passed on to us.We can only celebrate if we are living it now,but it seems like we are nostalgic. Yes rethink what we are celebrating,and give the celebration day a fitting name.My two cents.
You seriously want women…
You seriously want women circumcised?? There are some cultures better be dead and buried. I thought you are smarter than this Maxiley!!! What is there to celebrate about mutilating women genitalia? Wewe mshamba kweli…O am shocked! SMH!!
I knew acomment like this…
I knew acomment like this would appear sooner or later,that’s why I made a statement that,I refrain from making judgment.All I was doing is pointing out what some term as african culture.If you have followed my posts on such matters you may have realized that I oppose FGM.
Iam basically saying ,is FGM part of our culture?And should it be celebrated/How about taking off the front teeth. Even not done today,should we still celebrate it as afrian culture? What say you?
@Oluoch,Iam sure you know…
@Oluoch,Iam sure you know very well that not all tribes do FGM.Would you oppose consenting adults doing it? My opposition to FGM is based on barbaric nature and lack of consent.many girls are forced into it.If a thirty year old woman wants to do it given all the risks,and sexual damage, Ithink she should have that right,in the name of culture.The question is how many will chose that option?That is whether I want them circumcised or not.
“Utamanduni” is the only…
“Utamanduni” is the only word in our language.
Is this a mockery of our people?
What is there to celebrate?
Who are we?
What is your name or shall we call you anything and make you in our own image and therefore non- existent?
What is your language or shall we teach you anything and crush yours?- make you abandon who you are and speak like us.
Where is your land or shall we we claim everything and make you a slave and an alien in your own land and re- name your land?
Where are your forefathers or shall we provide you with ours and make sure you forget who you are and where you came from?
Who is your God, or shall we replace your God with our gods and our rituals- and provide you with a set of beliefs to follow?
Whose history do you learn? Foreign history or the history of your forefathers?
– For the man, we ask you to cut down your beard so you can look the same as a woman; so we cannot tell your age and you can live morally bankrupt without fear.
– Our women wear pants to claim equality with men-
“Utamaduni” is celebrating who you are- how your creator created you with all the attributes; what your creator gave you naturally.
” Utamaduni” day should not be a specific day, it should be our everyday life.
Soon no one will tell us when to celebrate; celebration of our cultures and who we are is on the horizon. Like everything else, colonization, oppression, mental and physical slavery has a beginning and an end. We are right at the end of one season and the beginning of another.
Let us patiently wait for our season to celebrate. It is still a foreigner’s season in Kenya and Africa but slowly and surely matching forward.
ALL are tribalism negroes…
ALL are tribalism negroes..
LOOK NIPATE
TRIBALISM ESPECIALLY FROM SO CALLED RV PUNDIT HIDING . .TO INCITE CHAOS SUPPORTING DANGEROUS MOI BOY RUTO
@ Anonymous UI
Asante sana…
@ Anonymous UI
Asante sana Ndugu @ anonymous UI kwa kutuamsha kutoka kwenye usingizi mkubwa na ndoto zetu kwa kuuliza maswali muhimu sana na pia ya kimsingi. Umeuliza maswali ambayo kila MKenya anastahili kujiuliza kila siku asubhi anapoamka na kuwaza: Ni mnyororo upi wa kikoloni ambao nimeukata leo na kuuchoma kabisa?
Nimechunguza kwa makini nchi nyingi ambazo zilitawaliwa na sasa zimeweza kujikomboa karibu kila kitu kibaya walichopewa na mkoloni. Suluhisho mojawapo imekuwa kutilia nguvu masomo ya MELTAS. Kirefu chake ni kutilia mkazo masomo ya (MELTAS) mathematics, engineering, languages, technology, agriculture, sciences.
Jambo la kuweka utajiri wa mtu binafsi hasa waliochaguliwa kwenye benki za kigeni ni lazima ukomeshwe mara moja. Pesa zinazowekwa nje ya nchi hazisaidii kupunguza ukosefu wa kazi nchini kwa sababu pesa hazizunguki nchini. Kwa mfano, kama ndugu yetu Samoei angejenga viwanda nchini (badala ya kutoa hongo makanisani kwa kuwapa makasisi matapeli, majambazi, waongo, wabakaji pesa hizo) uchumi wa nchi na ukosefu wa kazi ungepunguka sana kuliko jinsi ulivyo sasa.
SULUHISHO:
Kiongozi yeyote aliyeweka pesa zake nje ya nchi kwenye benki za kigeni, yafaa ajiuzulu mara moja. Mtu kama huyu hasaidii nchi kwa njia yoyote!