Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has reopened the debate on Kenya's system of governance, calling for a constitutional shift that would see the party with the highest number of Members of Parliament form the national government instead of electing a president through a nationwide vote.
Speaking during the 2026 Devolution Sensitisation Week in Garissa County on Tuesday, Duale said the country missed an opportunity to embrace a parliamentary system despite earlier support from him and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
He recalled that the proposal was rejected by those who favoured the country's current political arrangement.
"The other one that they could not allow us to do was that Raila Odinga and us believed in a parliamentary system of government. But those who believe in the tyranny of numbers refused us a parliamentary system of government," Duale said.
"And before I die, I hope one day there will be a parliamentary system of government."
Duale argued that Kenya's governance model should be anchored on parliamentary representation, where voters elect Members of Parliament in their constituencies and the political party or coalition that secures the majority of seats takes over government.
Drawing comparisons with countries such as India, the United Kingdom and Ethiopia, he said the system would decentralise elections by making constituency contests the basis for forming the national administration.
"We devolve the election in our country from Bomas to the constituencies. Like in India, like in the UK, like in Ethiopia, where elections are won at the constituency level. The party with the highest number of MPs will form the next government," he said.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, Kenya's presidential system has encouraged political alliances based on population strength because victory depends on winning the highest number of votes across the country.\"Today if two or three of the largest communities connive and form a coalition, they will take over the presidency," he said.
He said this has entrenched what he described as the "tyranny of numbers", leaving communities with smaller populations at a disadvantage during presidential elections.
Using northern Kenya as an example, Duale said pastoralist communities would also seek to strengthen their numbers if political competition continued to revolve around population.
"And that is why the people of North Eastern Kenya, the pastoralists, will make sure in the next election and in subsequent elections we will be number one in terms of the tyranny of numbers. We will marry four wives and produce many children," he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Duale further argued that adopting a parliamentary system could ease post-election tensions by shifting the contest from a single presidential race to constituency-based parliamentary elections.
"If you have a parliamentary system, there will be no post-election violence because all the votes will be counted in the constituency. Whoever has the highest number, or the coalition of parties with the highest number, will form the government," he said.
Kenya currently operates under the presidential system created by the 2010 Constitution, where voters directly elect the President, while Members of Parliament are elected separately. Cabinet Secretaries are appointed from outside Parliament, and unlike in parliamentary democracies, the Executive does not depend on retaining the support of a parliamentary majority to remain in office.
Duale made the remarks during the 2026 Devolution Sensitisation Week in Garissa County, held under the theme "Devolution for Better Health, Empowered Communities."