2026 Kinabatangan by-election


By-elections in Kinabatangan are scheduled to be held on 24 January 2026 for the Dewan Rakyat seat of Kinabatangan. It was called following the death of Bung Moktar Radin on 5 December 2025. Bung served as the Kinabatangan MP from 1999. The by-election is held concurrently with the 2026 Lamag by-election, the state seat Bung held.
The election is the fourth federal by-election since GE15 and part of the second set of by-elections where an incumbent death led to simultaneous by-elections in both parliamentary and state constituencies since Pulai and Simpang Jeram in 2023.

Background

Kinbatangan is a Sabah Bumiputera-majority seat comprising 65.0% of the overall voters, followed by 27.6% Malay-Muslim Bumiputera, 5.40% of other ethnicities and 2.0% Chinese.
Bung Moktar died on 5 December 2025 at Kota Kinabalu Gleneagles Hospital, after being hospitalized for kidney failure and a lung infection.

Nomination

On 19 December 2025, Barisan Nasional named Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar, the son of Bung Mokhtar, as their candidate for the seat. Warisan nominated former Sukau assemblyman Saddi Abdul Rahman as their candidate on 5 January 2026. Three days later, lawyer Goldam Hamid announced his intention of running as independent.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah announced it would not contest the seat out of respect for Bung. Perikatan Nasional similarly also decided not to contest both the Kinabatangan and Lamag seats.

Timeline

The key dates are listed below.
DateEvent
5 December 2025Bung Moktar Radin died in office as the Kinabatangan MP
16 December 2025Issue of the Writ of Election
10 January 2026Nomination Day
10 - 23 January 2026Campaigning Period
20 January 2026Early Polling Day For Postal, Overseas and Advance Voters
24 January 2026Polling Day