Published on: 2026-01-13
The Nairobi Securities Exchange operates under East Africa Time (EAT; UTC +3) and aligns its trading calendar with officially recognized Kenyan public holidays. On these dates, the exchange is fully closed, with no trading, clearing, or settlement activity.
In addition to standard weekday operations, the NSE Kenya observes culturally and religiously significant holidays that can materially affect trading schedules and settlement timelines.
The NSE Kenya will be closed on the following official trading holidays in 2026. No equity, bond, or derivatives trading takes place on these dates, and settlement processing is suspended.
| Date | Day | Holiday (Market Closed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Thursday | New Year’s Day |
| 20 March 2026 | Friday | Idd-ul-Fitr (tentative, moon-sighting based) |
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 1 May 2026 | Friday | Labour Day |
| 27 May 2026 | Wednesday | Idd-ul-Adha (tentative) |
| 1 June 2026 | Monday | Madaraka Day (Self-Governance Day) |
| 20 October 2026 | Tuesday | Mashujaa Day (Heroes’ Day) |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day |
Important note: Islamic holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are determined by lunar sightings and may shift by one day. These dates should be treated as provisional until formally confirmed by the exchange.
Kenya also observes holidays such as Jamhuri Day (12 December), Boxing Day (26 December), and Mazingira Day (10 October 2026). While these days may affect banking and government operations, they do not automatically result in NSE market closures unless explicitly stated in the official trading calendar.
The Nairobi Securities Exchange follows a clearly structured trading day:
Pre-Open / Order Entry Session: 09:00 – 09:30 EAT (Order placement and price discovery occur during this phase)
Continuous Trading Session: 09:30 – 15:00 EAT (Active order matching and regular market trading take place)
Market Close and Post-Trade Processing: Begins at 15:00 EAT (Continuous trading ends, and post-trade processes commence)
The NSE Kenya is closed every Saturday and Sunday. No trading, clearing, or settlement activity occurs during weekends.
On official trading holidays, the exchange remains fully closed, even when holidays fall mid-week. There are no shortened sessions unless explicitly announced.
Settlement cycles on the NSE Kenya are calculated using business days only. When a trade’s settlement date coincides with a public holiday or weekend, settlement automatically rolls forward to the next trading day. This can extend settlement timelines around periods such as Easter, Labour Day, or year-end holidays.
For leveraged traders, custodians, and institutional investors, these delays can affect margin requirements, cash availability, and portfolio rebalancing schedules. Factoring holiday-adjusted settlement timelines into execution planning is therefore essential.
Although the market is closed on trading holidays, many brokers and electronic trading platforms allow advance or after-market order placement. These orders are queued and executed when the exchange reopens, subject to prevailing prices and liquidity conditions.
Investors should be mindful that market reopening days can experience wider spreads and higher volatility, particularly following long holiday closures.
For offshore investors, aligning NSE Kenya market hours with global trading desks requires awareness of the time zone difference and non-overlapping holidays.
East Africa Time does not observe daylight saving, providing consistency throughout the year, but mismatches with U.S., European, or Asian market holidays can affect funding, FX settlement, and cross-border capital movements.
No. The Nairobi Securities Exchange is closed on officially recognized trading holidays in Kenya. On these dates, there is no equity, bond, or derivatives trading, and clearing and settlement processes are suspended.
Yes. Islamic holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are observed by the NSE Kenya. However, their exact dates vary annually because they depend on lunar sightings. Traders should treat these dates as provisional until formally confirmed.
All NSE Kenya trading sessions operate under East Africa Time (EAT), which is UTC +3. There are no daylight-saving adjustments, providing consistency throughout the year.
No. The NSE Kenya does not typically operate shortened trading sessions. On trading days, the market runs its full schedule regardless of proximity to holidays, unless explicitly announced otherwise by the exchange.
Most brokers allow investors to place orders during weekends or holidays. These orders are queued and executed when the market reopens, subject to prevailing prices and liquidity conditions.
Settlement timelines count only business days. If a trade’s settlement date falls on a holiday or weekend, settlement automatically rolls forward to the next trading day, which can affect cash management and portfolio rebalancing.
Yes. The exchange is closed every Saturday and Sunday. No trading, clearing, or settlement activity occurs during weekends.
The NSE operates Monday to Friday only, with no trading on weekends.
Trading hours remain unchanged throughout the year, with no half-day or shortened sessions.
Islamic holidays are provisional and may shift by one day based on moon sightings.
Settlement timelines move strictly on business days, extending cash and securities delivery around holidays.
Liquidity often thins before long weekends and clustered holiday periods, especially in April and December.
The calendar framework directly affects equity trading, bond market operations, derivatives exposure, and institutional fund flows across Kenya’s capital markets.
In 2026, trading on the Nairobi Securities Exchange operates from Monday through Friday, with activity suspended only on officially designated market holidays. The key holidays affecting trading include New Year’s Day, Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Eid al-Adha, Madaraka Day, Mashujaa Day, and Christmas Day.
On active trading days, the market runs from 09:00 to 15:00 East African Time, with continuous trading taking place between 09:30 and 15:00 following the pre-open session. The exchange remains closed on all weekends and confirmed public holidays.
Effective planning for NSE Kenya trading holidays and market hours in 2026 requires aligning execution strategies, liquidity management, and settlement expectations with this calendar to minimize operational risk and avoid unintended funding or execution disruptions.
Disclaimer: This material is for general information purposes only and is not intended as (and should not be considered to be) financial, investment, or other advice on which reliance should be placed. No opinion given in the material constitutes a recommendation by EBC or the author that any particular investment, security, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person.
