# Public Holidays Pay in Kenya: Employer Guide > Kenya public-holiday pay rules for employers: double-time calculations, the 225-hour floor, sector exceptions, Sunday substitution and payroll records. Original page: https://cazini.co.ke/guides/public-holidays-pay-kenya Updated: 2026-11-14 · Cazini (Paul Omondi) Public holidays are paid holidays for employees covered by the Regulation of Wages (General) Order, with full pay defined by that Order. If those employees work on a public holiday, the hours worked attract twice the normal hourly rate. Before running payroll, check the applicable wage order, contract and collective bargaining agreement (CBA), because the General Order is not a universal rule for every Kenyan worker. ## What Public-Holiday Pay Covers Separate the entitlement to a paid holiday from payment for working during it. The General Order makes the holidays in its Fourth Schedule holidays with full pay. It defines full pay as wages and salary at the basic minimum rate, excluding deductions made under the Employment Act. Its overtime rule addresses a different question: what to pay for time actually worked on a public holiday or the employee's normal rest day. That time is payable at twice the normal hourly rate. | Payroll situation | Treatment under the General Order | | --- | --- | | Employee takes a scheduled paid holiday | Apply the full-pay holiday entitlement | | Employee works on a public holiday | Calculate the hours worked at twice the normal hourly rate | | Employee works on their normal rest day | Calculate the hours worked at twice the normal hourly rate | Do not turn the phrase “double pay” into an automatic total-day salary formula. Keep ordinary holiday pay and the payment for hours worked separately identifiable, then check the governing instrument for how they interact. In particular, inspect any sectoral wording about whether a premium is additional to ordinary daily pay. ## Identify the Governing Wage Order ### Agriculture Is Expressly Excluded The General Order expressly excludes workers in the agricultural industry. Agricultural employers should check the Regulation of Wages (Agricultural Industry) Order and any more favourable contract or CBA rather than importing the General Order's calculation. For guards, hospitality staff and other sectoral categories, identify the relevant wage order before approving a payroll formula. The General Order says its minimum rates and conditions can apply to employees covered by another wages-regulation order where that other order is less favourable. A sectoral label alone therefore does not settle the comparison. ### Check Terms, Not Just Payroll Labels Record the employee's occupation, applicable wage order, pay basis and relevant contract or CBA terms. Being monthly-paid, daily-paid or described as casual does not tell payroll which instrument has been checked. Keep the supporting terms alongside the employee record in your [employee-management process](https://cazini.co.ke/employee-management). ## How to Calculate Public-Holiday Work The General Order's calculation for covered employees is: Public-holiday work payment = hours worked × normal hourly rate × 2. ### Hourly-Paid Employees Use the normal hourly rate established under the applicable terms and multiply it by the holiday hours worked and the double-time multiplier. Check any contractual or CBA enhancement before approving the result. Use actual recorded hours, not an assumed full shift. The statutory rule is expressed as payment for time worked. ### Monthly-Paid Employees For employees not paid by the hour, the General Order deems the basic hourly rate for overtime calculations to be not less than 1/225 of the employee's basic minimum monthly wage. The statutory-floor calculation is: Minimum basic hourly rate = applicable basic minimum monthly wage ÷ 225. Public-holiday work at that floor = holiday hours worked × minimum basic hourly rate × 2. This is not a universal instruction to divide gross salary by 225. Identify the applicable basic minimum wage, then check the wage order, contract and CBA to establish the correct payable hourly rate. ### Daily-Paid Employees Daily-paid staff also require the non-hourly rate check where the General Order applies. Do not simply double a daily amount without establishing the relevant hourly basis and the hours actually worked. Keep the paid-holiday entitlement separate from that calculation. ### Use the Updated Minimum-Wage Schedule Legal Notice 108 of 2026 replaced the General Order's wage schedule and is deemed to have taken effect on 1 May 2026. If the statutory minimum anchors your calculation, use the applicable occupation and location in that schedule. A stale wage table can understate the hourly floor even when the multiplier is correct. > The 225-hour divisor establishes a minimum basic-hourly-rate basis under the General Order. It is not a blanket gross-pay divisor for every Kenyan employee. Once the holiday amount is established, handle it through your [payroll workflow](https://cazini.co.ke/payroll). For the separate take-home-pay calculation, use the [Kenya PAYE calculator](https://cazini.co.ke/tools/kenya-paye-calculator), not as a substitute for determining holiday entitlement. [Kenya PAYE calculator](https://cazini.co.ke/tools/kenya-paye-calculator) - work out net pay and every deduction for any salary. ## Verify That the Date Is a Public Holiday The Public Holidays Act is the starting point, not an online calendar. Part I contains the annually recurring public holidays; Parts II and III provide additional holidays for persons of the Islamic and Hindu faiths respectively. A general-election day and the day a President-elect is sworn in are also public holidays under the Act. The Cabinet Secretary may declare additional or substitute holidays by Gazette notice, nationally or for a specified sub-county, area or locality. Check the notice's scope before applying it across every branch. For ad hoc holidays and lunar-date declarations, use the Gazette notice as the controlling source. ### Sunday and Saturday Are Different When a Part I holiday falls on Sunday, the first succeeding day that is not already a public holiday becomes the holiday, and that Sunday ceases to be one. The Act contains no equivalent automatic Saturday-to-weekday substitution rule. A substituted Sunday can still matter for payroll: if it is the employee's normal rest day, work on it attracts the General Order's rest-day rate. Record the rest-day and public-holiday classifications separately rather than assuming that substitution makes Sunday ordinary working time. ## Keep an Audit-Ready Payroll Record For each holiday entry, retain: - The holiday date and its Act or Gazette basis. - The employee's governing wage order and relevant contract or CBA terms. - The roster, normal rest day and actual hours worked. - The hourly-rate basis, multiplier and any enhanced benefit. - The approved payment and its payroll record. The Employment Act requires an itemised pay statement for qualifying monthly-paid employees, who may complain to a labour officer if the required statement is not provided. Separately identifying the holiday calculation makes that payment easier to explain and reconcile. Keep public-holiday, weekly-rest and annual-leave entries distinct. If a holiday falls within booked leave, check the governing leave terms before finalising the leave balance rather than letting a calendar import decide it. ## FAQs ### Are Public Holidays Paid in Kenya? For employees covered by the General Order, the holidays in its Fourth Schedule are holidays with full pay. The Order defines that pay by reference to the basic minimum rate, excluding deductions made under the Employment Act. Check the applicable wage order, contract and CBA for the employee's terms. ### Is Public-Holiday Work Paid at Double Time? Yes, covered employees receive twice the normal hourly rate for hours worked on a public holiday. The same rule applies to their normal rest day. The operative rule is in the wage order, not simply the Employment Act. ### Is Double Pay Additional to Normal Daily Salary? Keep the paid-holiday entitlement separate from the hours-worked calculation. Do not convert the double hourly rate into a universal total-day salary rule. Check the sectoral order, contract and CBA for wording on how the premium relates to ordinary pay. ### Can an Employer Give Time Off Instead of Holiday Pay? Do not assume a compensatory day off replaces payment. The General Order expressly provides for twice the normal hourly rate for holiday work. Identify the applicable authority and confirm compliance with the governing wage order before using time off in lieu. ### How Long Can an Employee Claim Unpaid Holiday Wages? Section 90 of the Employment Act generally gives civil actions based on the Act or a contract of service a three-year limitation period. Continuing-injury claims must be brought within 12 months after the injury or damage ceases. Obtain case-specific legal advice before relying on limitation against historical claims. ## Sources [Kenya Law - Regulation of Wages (General) Order](https://kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/ln/1982/120/eng%402026-06-26) - Paid holidays, double-time work, the hourly-rate floor, scope and sectoral comparisons. [Kenya Law - Public Holidays Act](https://kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/1912/21/eng%402024-04-26) - Scheduled and faith-specific holidays, Gazette declarations and Sunday substitution. [Kenya Law - Regulation of Wages (General) (Amendment) Order, 2026](https://kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/ln/2026/108/eng%402026-06-26) - Replacement wage schedule and deemed commencement date. [Kenya Law - Employment Act](https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/2007/11) - Itemised pay statements, complaints and limitation periods. ## Frequently asked questions ### Are public holidays paid in Kenya? For employees covered by the Regulation of Wages (General) Order, the holidays in its Fourth Schedule are holidays with full pay. The Order defines full pay by reference to wages and salary at the basic minimum rate, excluding deductions made under the Employment Act. Check the applicable wage order, contract and CBA before processing an individual employee's pay. ### Is public-holiday work paid at double time? Yes, for employees covered by the General Order, hours worked on a public holiday attract twice the normal hourly rate. The same rule applies to work on the employee's normal rest day. The operative double-time rule comes from the wage order, not simply from the Employment Act. ### Is double pay additional to normal daily salary? Keep the paid-holiday entitlement separate from the calculation for hours actually worked. Do not translate the double hourly rate into a universal rule about total daily salary. Check the applicable sectoral order, contract and CBA for wording on how the premium relates to ordinary pay. ### Can an employer give time off instead of holiday pay? Do not assume a compensatory day off replaces the required payment. The General Order expressly provides for payment at twice the normal hourly rate for public-holiday work. Before using time off in lieu, identify the applicable authority and confirm that the arrangement satisfies the governing wage order. ### How long can an employee claim unpaid holiday wages? Under section 90 of the Employment Act, civil actions based on the Act or a contract of service generally have a three-year limitation period. A claim involving continuing injury or damage must be brought within 12 months after it ceases. Obtain case-specific legal advice before treating a historical holiday-pay claim as time-barred.