The United States Embassy in Kenya has announced it will be closed on Monday, October 12, 2026, to mark Columbus Day, a federal public holiday in the United States.
The Embassy confirmed the closure in a post on Friday, October 9, stating: “The U.S. Embassy will be closed on Monday, 12th October 2026 in observance of Columbus Day.”
What is Columbus Day?
Columbus Day is a federally designated public holiday in the United States, observed annually on the second Monday of October. It is one of 11 federal holidays formally recognised by the US government.
The holiday commemorates Christopher Columbus’s 1492 Atlantic crossing, which marked the beginning of sustained contact between Europe and the Americas.
Although millions of Indigenous people already inhabited the Americas at the time, and earlier European contact had occurred, Columbus’s expeditions are widely regarded as having fundamentally altered the course of global history.
Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Despite retaining its status as a federal holiday, Columbus Day is increasingly contested across the United States. A growing number of states, cities, and school districts have moved to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the same date, recognising the impact that European colonisation had on native communities.
Some jurisdictions mark both occasions simultaneously, while others have formally replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day on their official calendars. The dual recognition reflects an ongoing national debate in the US over how the country commemorates its history.
For those seeking consular or embassy services in Nairobi, the closure means no operations will be conducted on Monday, October 12, with normal services expected to resume on Tuesday, October 13.
