Africa-Press – Kenya. President William Samoei Ruto has extended Ramadan greetings to Muslims in Kenya and around the world, calling for unity, compassion, and renewed national purpose during the holy month. In a statement on Wednesday, President Ruto wished the Muslim faithful a blessed period of fasting, prayer, and reflection.
“Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim brothers and sisters. May this sacred month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and generosity renew your strength, bring peace to your hearts, deepen compassion, and strengthen the unity, solidarity, and shared purpose that guide Kenya forward,” Ruto said.
The President emphasised the importance of the spiritual season in fostering social cohesion and shared responsibility, noting that the values observed during Ramadan align with Kenya’s broader aspirations for unity and progress.
Ramadan is one of the most significant periods in the Islamic calendar, marked by fasting from dawn to dusk, increased charity, and heightened devotion among the faithful.
It is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and the month cycles through the seasons. The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon.
The actual start date may vary among countries and Muslim communities due to declarations by multiple Islamic authorities around the globe on whether the crescent has been sighted, or because different methodologies are used to determine the beginning of the month.
Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, along with the profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. Muslims see various meanings and lessons in observing the fast. It is regarded as an act of worship to attain piety and one of submission to God.
In a rare alignment this year, two of the world’s most significant religious fasting periods — the Christian season of Lent and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan — began on the same day.
For millions of believers, the coincidence has sparked curiosity about how two major faith traditions, guided by entirely different calendars, end up marking the start of their sacred seasons at the same time.
The answer lies not in coincidence alone, but in the complex ways religious calendars track time and how those systems shift each year. The main reason Lent and Ramadan sometimes overlap is that Christianity and Islam follow different calendar systems.
On January 28, the government facilitated the duty-free importation of dates ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. The initiative will help ease the cost burden on the faithful while strengthening the spirit of charity and compassion that defines the sacred season.
In a statement, Supkem national chairman Hassan Ole Naado underscored the importance of gratitude in Islam, recalling the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah,” he said, adding that acknowledging goodwill and positive action remains central to faith and communal harmony.
