The Senate has officially opened public participation on the Referendum Bill, 2026, following its first reading on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

According to a statement shared by the National Assembly on its social media pages on Friday, May 8, 2026.

The bill has been referred to the Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs, and Human Rights for consideration, where it will undergo public scrutiny before a report is tabled in the Senate.

In line with Standing Order 145(5) of the Senate Standing Orders and Article 118 of the Constitution, the Committee is required to facilitate public participation and consider views from members of the public in its deliberations.

The bill seeks to establish a clear legal framework governing the conduct of referenda in Kenya.

“The Senate has officially commenced public participation on the Referendum Bill, 2026 (Senate Bills No. 3 of 2026), following its first reading on Tuesday, 5th May, 2026. The Bill has since been committed to the Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights for detailed consideration in line with Senate Standing Orders.”

It outlines the procedures for initiating, organising, conducting, and legally challenging referenda, as well as the processes to be followed in implementing referendum outcomes once results are declared.

The proposed legislation applies to constitutional amendment referenda, county referenda, and any other public issue referenda as may be provided for under the law.

Members of the public, civil society organisations, and other interested stakeholders have been invited to submit their views on the bill through written memoranda.

Where to submit

These submissions may be addressed to the Clerk of the Senate, P.O. Box 41842–00100, Nairobi; delivered by hand to the Office of the Clerk of the Senate at the Main Parliament Buildings in Nairobi; or sent via email to clerk.senate@parliament. go.ke, with a copy to [email protected]. All submissions are expected to be received on or before Friday, May 29, 2026, at 5.00 p.m.

This comes after a push by Musalia Mudavadi, who, earlier in the year, had advocated for a referendum, began to fade and is no longer being actively called for.

In his proposal, Mudavadi had demanded that a referendum be held alongside the 2027 General Election and that it be introduced as the seventh question, in addition to the six other questions that relate to the elective seats.

“We can use the 2027 election as the first example to have those issues that have never been resolved crafted well into sensible referendum questions that will help amend our 2010 constitution.” Said Mudavadi.