A series of by-elections were held in Kenya on 11 and 12 June 1966, becoming known as the "little general election".^[1][2] They followed the defection of 29 members of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) to establish the Kenya People's Union. As a result, the KANU government passed a constitutional amendment to force the MPs to seek re-election.^[3] Although the KPU received the most votes in the by-elections, KANU won more seats.