The Embassy of the United States in Nairobi will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2026 in observance of Memorial Day, the embassy has announced.

In a notice issued on Sunday, May 24, ahead of the holiday, the embassy said that it will remain closed throughout the day, meaning routine consular and administrative services would not be available during the one-day closure.

“We will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day,” the embassy said in a statement.

Services affected include visa and passport processing, with normal operations expected to resume on Tuesday.

Memorial Day is observed annually on the last Monday of May across the United States as a day of remembrance to honor and mourn military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The holiday traces its origins to the post-Civil War period, when communities gathered to decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers, leading to its earlier name, “Decoration Day.”

It was officially recognised as a federal holiday in 1971 and is commonly marked through memorial ceremonies, parades and tributes at military cemeteries across the United States.

Americans normaly observe a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. local time with thousands of volunteers placing American flags on the graves of service members at over 150 national cemeteries, including the well-known Arlington National Cemetery.

The U.S. President traditionally also lays a wreath at the Tomb of the unknown Soldier at Arlington with the extended three-day weekend is widely viewed as the start of the summer season.