Interior CS Kithure Kindiki’s decision to declare Friday April 21 as a national public holiday to mark Idd-ul-Fitr has caused controversy among some Muslims.
The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Chairman, Hassan Ole Naado, stated that the decision is confusing Kenya’s Muslim community and should be based solely on the sighting of the moon.
He added that the government’s decision is risky as there is no guarantee that the crescent moon will appear on the same day, marking the end of the holy month of fasting.
Mr. Ole Naado believes that only the Chief Kadhi should declare the end of Ramadan, not those in State authority.
He urges Muslims to stick to the traditional practice of sighting the moon and not rely on the government’s declaration, as it may cause confusion, especially for those in rural areas.
Some Muslims in the country have taken to social media to question the government’s motives in declaring Friday a holiday.
Earlier in the week, Deputy Chief Kadhi Sukhyan Omar had instructed all Kadhis across the country to search and sight the crescent moon before announcing the end of Ramadan.
