KenyaKE

Article 257 of the Constitution of Kenya

Article
257
Index row title
(1) An amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by a popular initiative signed by at least one million registered voters.
Source document
The Kenya Constitution
Provision ID
ca34e4ed-a4a8-485d-807a-cc12ff672ffb

310 words

Verbatim text

(2) A popular initiative for an amendment to this Constitution may be in the form of a general suggestion or a formulated draft Bill. (3) If a popular initiative is in the form of a general suggestion, the promoters of that popular initiative shall formulate it into a draft Bill. (4) The promoters of a popular initiative shall deliver the draft Bill and the supporting signatures to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, which shall verify that the initiative is supported by at least one million registered voters. (5) If the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is satisfied that the initiative meets the requirements of this Article, the Commission shall submit the draft Bill to each county assembly for consideration within three months after the date it was submitted by the Commission. (6) If a county assembly approves the draft Bill within three months after the date it was submitted by the Commission, the speaker of the county assembly shall deliver a copy of the draft Bill jointly to the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament, with a certificate that the county assembly has approved it. (7) If a draft Bill has been approved by a majority of the county assemblies, it shall be introduced in Parliament without delay.155 (8) A Bill under this Article is passed by Parliament if supported by a majority of the members of each House. (9) If Parliament passes the Bill, it shall be submitted to the President for assent in accordance with Articles 256 (4) and (5). (10) If either House of Parliament fails to pass the Bill, or the Bill relates to a matter specified in 255 (1), the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the people in a referendum. (11) Article 255 (2) applies, with any necessary modifications, to a referendum under clause (10). CHAPTER SEVENTEEN—GENERAL PROVISIONS Enforcement of this Constitution.

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 257 of the Constitution of Kenya.
  • The passage runs to about 310 words.
  • Read plainly, it mentions assembly and association — it protects gathering together or joining a group, union or party (the words used: “assembly”).

The row’s stored title is a body fragment, not a heading (“(1) An amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by a popular initiative signed by at least one million registered voters.”), so it is not used as the provision’s title here.

The index gives this passage an article number but stores a body fragment where a heading would be, so the number could not be cross-checked against the text. Check it against the official Constitution before relying on it in a citation.

This is a mechanical reading aid generated from the text above by matching words in it. It is not legal advice, not a lawyer’s interpretation, and not a substitute for the provision itself.

How to cite this

Constitution of Kenya, article 257, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/ca34e4ed-a4a8-485d-807a-cc12ff672ffb (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/ca34e4ed-a4a8-485d-807a-cc12ff672ffb

Accessed 25 October 2026.

Link to the canonical URL above, not to a #section-… fragment on the jurisdiction page — the fragment is a scroll position, this URL is the provision.

Machine-readable versions