Court recess (vacation): dates and what still runs
Judiciary of Kenya · sources read 4 Oct 2026
The High Court and courts of equal status go on recess at Easter, in August and at Christmas, with the dates set each time by Gazette notice. During recess, duty judges still hear matters that come up, and registries stay open 8am to 5pm on weekdays.
- Fee
- We couldn't confirm a fee from the official page. Check it there before you pay.
- Where
- Your High Court station or division registry (open weekdays 8am to 5pm during recess). Recess notices are on highcourt.judiciary.go.ke/documents.
Steps
- Check the dates: the High Court posts each recess Gazette notice on its Documents page.
- Matters that arise during recess are heard by Recess Duty Judges, appointed by the Presiding Judge of each station or division (and by the heads of the Employment and Labour Court and the Environment and Land Court).
- If your station has only one judge, your matter goes to the nearest High Court station with a duty judge, shown on your station's notice board.
- Registries stay open during recess, 8am to 5pm on weekdays except public holidays, so you can still file.
Watch out
- Last Christmas recess ran from 21 December 2025 to 13 January 2026, both days included. Check the new notice before planning around this year's dates.
- The August recess is the longest: in 2025 it ran from 1 August to 15 September.
- Easter recess 2026 ran from 25 March to 8 April 2026.
Official sources (4)
- High Court Documents highcourt.judiciary.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Gazette Notice 14545 of 2025: High Court of Kenya Christmas Recess, 2025 highcourt.judiciary.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Gazette Notice 9459 of 2025: High Court of Kenya August Recess, 2025 highcourt.judiciary.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Gazette Notice No. 1738 of 2026: High Court of Kenya Easter Recess, 2026 highcourt.judiciary.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026