Name the Bill: How to Tell Your MP the Penal Code Amendment Must Pass

The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2026 is in Parliament. It would legally define femicide for the first time in Kenya's history. It needs your MP's vote. Here is how to make sure they give it.

How Parliament Works

Bills pass through three readings. The Second Reading is the full debate — this is where MPs state their position. The Third Reading is the final vote. The Committee Stage, between Second and Third Reading, is where amendments are made — it is the most important stage for shaping what the law actually says.

Your MP votes at Second and Third Reading. A committee member can propose amendments during the Committee Stage. If your MP is on the relevant committee, their influence is significant. You can find committee membership on the Kenya Parliament website.

How to Contact Your MP

• Find your MP: parliament.go.ke → Members → search by constituency
• Parliamentary switchboard: 020 221291 / 020 2219000
• Email and constituency office address: listed on parliament.go.ke
• County Assembly representative (MCA): for county-level advocacy and resolutions

Template Message

“Honourable [Name], I am your constituent from [ward/area]. I am writing to ask you to vote YES on the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2026, which would legally define femicide for the first time in Kenya's history. 1,069 Kenyan women have been killed since 2016. None of their deaths have ever been prosecuted as femicide because the crime has no legal name. Please vote YES. Thank you.”

Tested message format — works via WhatsApp, SMS, email, and physical letter

If They Push Back

• "This is about naming the crime — not about criminalising men. A femicide law prosecutes the act of killing a woman because of her gender. It does not change anything else."
• "Your own government's task force recommended this. The Presidential TWG on GBV and Femicide — established by President Ruto — recommended femicide as a standalone offence. You are being asked to implement the president's own policy."
• "1,069 families have been denied justice because this crime has no legal name. That is 1,069 cases where perpetrators faced no femicide charge. A yes vote changes that."
• "The bill has already passed through the first reading. This is not a radical proposal — it is catching up with 100+ countries that already have femicide in their law."

Your Vote Is Public

Parliamentary votes are public record. Dada Collective Network will publish every MP's vote on this bill when it comes to the floor. We will make it easy to find, easy to share, and impossible to obscure.