The United States embassy in Nairobi announced that it will be closed for business on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in observance of U.S. Independence Day.
“The Embassy will be closed on July 4, 2024, in observance of U.S. Independence Day,” the US embassy said in a statement on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
The announcement has been made to inform the public and ensure that anyone needing consular services or any other assistance from the embassy is aware of the closure in advance.
Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.
The founding fathers, delegates of the Second Continental Congress, declared on July 4, 1776, that the 13 colonies that made up America at the time were no longer subject to the British monarch and were united, free and independent states.
The 13 colonies formed the first states of the USA, which currently comprises a total of 50 states.
Demos
The closure of the US embassy in Nairobi on July 4 coincides with the planned anti-government demos slated for Thursday.
It’s not clear if the protests will still go on given the extent of the damage caused on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
The nationwide anti-government protests on Tuesday ended in chaos, drawing sharp criticism from many quarters.
Goons, thugs and vandals infiltrated the protests causing a doomsday kind of a scenario.
Some opposition and government-allied politicians have called for an end to the protests following the chaos that was witnessed on Tuesday.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki noted with concern that the planners of the Tuesday protests were planning to repeat the same on Thursday and Sunday this week.
“The organisers of today’s orgy of violence in parts of Nairobi, Mombasa and several other parts of the Country are reportedly planning to repeat their anarchic chaos and cruel plunder again on Thursday and Sunday this week, and perhaps much more frequently in the future,” Kindiki said.
The Interior CS warned that the protests which have since turned chaotic, must end at whatever cost.