UGANDAN PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2016

There are 13 Public Holidays in Uganda annually.  As in most countries in the Christian world, Uganda has a number of standard annual Public Holidays.  Many of these fall on the same day of the calendar every year, others, such as Good Friday and Easter Monday, have different dates.  These public holidays for 2016 are as follows:

January 1          New Year’s Day

March 8             International Women’s Day

March 25           Good Friday

March 28           Easter Monday

May 1                 Labour Day

December 25    Christmas Day

December 26     Boxing Day

In addition, there are Islamic Holy Days that are  official Public Holidays in Uganda.  The last census taken in Uganda of the Islamic population was in 2002, at which point, 12.1% of the population followed the Islamic faith.  In 2016 the Islamic Holy Days that are officially public holidays are as follow:

July 7                  Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)

September 13   Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice)

Note:  Muslim festivals are timed according to the local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates above are approximations.  During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted.  Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Firt itself.  Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha may last up to several days, depending on the region.

Uganda also has a number of Civic Memorial Days that are celebrated annually, which are also public holidays.  In 2016 the dates are as follows:

January 26            Liberation Day 

Uganda Liberation Day marks the events of Jan. 26, 1986 when the military junta was overthrown by the National Resistance Army following a five year civil war.  Yoweri Kaguta Museveni assumed the presidency.  The evening before Liberation Day, fireworks are exploded over the capital city of Kampala.  The next day, a parade involving all branches of the Uganda military is held either at the Kololo Independence grounds or at the Kololo airfield.  

 June 3                    Martyrs’ Day

Uganda Martyrs’ Day commemorates the deaths of a group of 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda.  They were executed between January 31, 1885 and January 27, 1887.  The King of Buganda, Mwanga II, the Kabaka, ordered their execution.  The English Church Missionary Society used the deaths to enlist wider public support for the British acquisition of Uganda.  The Catholic Church beatified the martyrs in 1920 and canonized them in 1964.

June 9                     Heroes’ Day

Uganda Heroes’ Day is to celebrate the memory of those who sacrificed their lives in order to restore peace and security to their homeland.  This day marks the beginning of the struggle to liberate the country. Heroes’ Day was commemorated to honor those who laid down their lives during the guerilla war between 1981 and 1985.  Internally, there are some tensions about the effectiveness of Heroes’ Day and its message.  The Forum for Democratic Change has been noted at times to denounce the celebrations as useless and a waste of tax payer’s dollars.

October 9               Independence Day

Uganda Independence Day commemorates Uganda’s independence from Britain in 1962, after 70 years of British rule.  Uganda became a republic in 1963 on its one-year independence anniversary.