BY: Jackson Ngari
A screengrab of the viral X post alleging that Kenya declared a public holiday to mark Arsenal’s Premier League victory.
A viral post shared on X (formerly Twitter) claims that the Kenyan government declared Monday a public holiday to celebrate Arsenal winning the Premier League.
The post, which has garnered more than 1,500 views, includes what appears to be a “Special Issue” of The Kenya Gazette allegedly signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration in Kenya . The notice claims Monday, May 24th, 2026, was declared a holiday in honour of Arsenal’s Premier league triumph.
BACKGROUND
Arsenal’s Premier League title win has generated intense global reaction, marking the club’s first league triumph in 22 years since the 2003/04 “Invincibles” season. The result triggered widespread celebrations across social media, with fans sharing reactions, memes, and congratulatory posts following confirmation of the title.
In Kenya and other countries with large Arsenal fanbases, the victory became a major online talking point, driving high engagement and rapid circulation of football-related content. Such high-emotion sporting moments often create an environment where satire, manipulated images, and fabricated official-looking notices spread quickly alongside genuine celebratory posts.
Similar incidents have recently been reported elsewhere in the region. In Botswana, for instance, a viral post claiming the government had declared a public holiday for Arsenal fans was publicly dismissed as fake after officials clarified there was no such announcement. The fabricated notice, which circulated widely on social media, was labelled misleading by the government, which warned against the spread of misinformation. The episode mirrored previous cases where fake government statements tied to sporting events gained traction online before being debunked.
Kenya’s legal framework on public holidays is clear: such declarations are made by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration under the Public Holidays Act (Cap. 110) and must be formally published in the Kenya Gazette. Once gazetted, the announcement is typically disseminated through official government communication channels, including ministry websites, press releases, and verified social media accounts, and is widely reported by mainstream media.
VERIFICATION
A review of the official X account of the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, as well as statements from reputable Kenyan media outlets like Standard Media, Daily Nation etc, shows no announcement or report confirming that Kenya has declared a public holiday in honour of Arsenal’s Premier League win.
A closer examination of the circulating “Kenya Gazette” image also reveals clear inconsistencies. The notice contains a date mismatch, claiming the holiday falls on Monday, May 24th, 2026, despite that date falling on a Sunday in the calendar. The actual Monday in question would be May 25th, further raising doubts about the authenticity of the document.
In addition, the gazette number shown in the image appears to correspond to an unrelated official notice. Similar formatting and numbering have been used in legitimate gazette publications, including those issuing unrelated public holiday declarations such as Eid-ul-Fitr notices, but the referenced number in the viral post does not match any confirmed Arsenal-related declaration.
The structure and presentation of the document also differ from authentic Kenya Gazette notices, which follow a consistent legal format and formal language. No credible Kenyan newsroom has reported any such declaration, which would be highly unlikely given that official public holiday announcements are typically widely covered across mainstream media.
Kenya’s history with fake gazette notices further contextualises the claim. Previous instances have shown how fabricated documents mimicking official government publications circulate online, often later debunked after verification against official records and legal government publications.
Kenya has repeatedly experienced circulation of fake gazette notices online.
In 2023, Piga Firimbi debunked a fabricated gazette notice falsely claiming March 20 had been declared a public holiday. The fact check found inconsistencies in volume numbers and confirmed the notice did not exist in official records.
Similarly, Africa Check verified that another viral gazette notice declaring a holiday for protests in Kenya was fabricated and absent from Kenya Law records.
The Star and Pulse Kenya have also previously reported on fake public holiday gazette notices circulated online.
VERDICT
The Gazette Notice claiming Kenya declared a public holiday to celebrate Arsenal winning the Premier League is FAKE.
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