Eid al-Fitr

Eid al-Fitr, written Idd el-Fitr in Ugandan legal usage, begins Shawwal and concludes Ramadan. For Muslims it is an act of thanksgiving after fasting, prayer and self-discipline, not simply a feast. Uganda's Muslim communities include several institutions and schools of practice, so prayer grounds, sermons, dress and foods vary between Kampala and other localities.

The Gregorian date cannot be fixed by arithmetic alone because Ugandan Muslim authorities announce the new month from the crescent-sighting process. In 2026 both the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council and Office of the Supreme Mufti reported that the crescent had not been sighted at the earlier opportunity and confirmed Friday, March 20 after completing thirty days of Ramadan. That actual announcement supersedes the calendar's earlier tentative label.

Eid al-Fitr is expressly listed in Schedule 2 of Uganda's Public Holidays Act and is therefore a nationwide public holiday. The Act contains no rule moving a Saturday or Sunday holiday to Monday: the calendar date remains the legal holiday unless the President separately declares another day under section 2(2). Covered employees receive ordinary full remuneration; holiday work attracts additional pay or paid leave in lieu under the Public Holidays Act and Employment Act, subject to those Acts' conditions.