Doing Business in Kenya

The following are the highlights as to the time of working and public holidays:

Time
Kenya Standard Time is 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3).
Kenya is in East Africa Time Zone (EAT). Days and nights are of same length of 12 hours all year round.

Business Hours

  • Government working hours: 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Monday to Friday with a one-hour lunch break.
  • Private-sector working hours: 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Monday to Friday, with a one-hour lunch break. Most private-sector organizations also work half days on Saturday.
  • Banking hours: 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. on the first and last Saturday of the month for most banks. Some branches open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 11:00am.
  • Shopping hours: Most shops are open from 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekdays. Some are also open during weekends from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.

Most shopping malls stay open until around 8 p.m while others like supermarkets and grocery stores operate 24-hours.

Public Holidays

Kenya celebrates Public Holidays on the day on which they fall. The public holidays observed are:

New Year’s Day                     1 January

Idd-AlFitr                              Changes from year to year

Good Friday                           Changes from year to year

Easter Monday                       Changes from year to year

Labour Day                            1 May

Idd- Al Adhuha                     Changes from year to year

Madaraka Day                                  1 June

Feast of Sacrifice                   15 October

Mashujjaa (Hero’s Day)         21 October

Jamhuri Day                           12 December

Christmas Day                                   25 December

Boxing Day                            26 December