Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has intensified calls for Kenya to transition from its current presidential system to a parliamentary form of government. He argues that such a change would mitigate the winner-takes-all nature of presidential elections, which have historically sparked post-election conflicts.

Speaking in Garissa during the 2026 Devolution Sensitisation Week, Duale noted that he and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga had previously supported the parliamentary system. However, efforts to implement it were blocked by dominant political groups in past negotiations.

Currently, Kenya’s 2010 Constitution mandates that the president be elected directly by the people, requiring a candidate to secure over 50% of votes nationally and at least 25% in 24 counties to win outright. Duale believes this system concentrates political competition on national vote counts rather than local constituencies.

Benefits of a Parliamentary Model

Duale highlighted that in a parliamentary system, the party or coalition with the majority of elected members of parliament forms the government. This approach, used in countries like India, the United Kingdom, and Ethiopia, decentralizes electoral competition to constituency levels.

He urged for elections to be devolved from central tallying at Bomas to local constituencies, emphasizing that this would better represent diverse regions and reduce election-related violence.

Concerns Over Current System

The Cabinet Secretary criticized the existing arrangement for enabling a few large communities to dominate the presidency through population-based coalitions, sidelining smaller and less populous regions such as the Coast and northern Kenya. He asserted that these marginalized communities, many of whom are pastoralists, must increase their numbers to compete effectively.

"Those who believe in the tyranny of numbers today are two or three of the largest communities in Kenya, who conspire and form a coalition to take over the presidency," Duale said. He pledged that pastoralist communities would strive to become numerically significant in upcoming elections.

Reducing Election Violence

Duale further argued that a parliamentary system would lower the risk of post-election violence since results would be determined at the constituency level rather than a single national tally prone to disputes.

"If you have a parliamentary system, there will be no post-election violence, because all votes will be counted at the constituency level, and whoever has the highest number, or the coalition of parties with the highest number, will form the government," he explained.

He expressed hope that Kenyans would eventually embrace the parliamentary model, stating it was his ambition to see this change implemented during his lifetime.