Duale: Why I back Raila on parliamentary system

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale (pictured) has explained why he is vouching for a parliamentary system of government.

As leaders continue to react to calls by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and others for a pure parliamentary system of government, Duale now says he is ready to join the opposition chief’s bandwagon to defeat a presidential system.

In what could spell the beginning of a new political realignment, the National Assembly Majority Leader, a key pillar in the Jubilee government, told Sunday Standard that the presidential system and the hybrid system adopted since independence have largely favored the Mt Kenya region over other parts of the country, resulting in ethnic political polarisation.

“It is time to end this tyranny of numbers where a few communities can come together and form a winning coalition. We must have a governance system where every community has an opportunity to lead this country,” said the Garissa Township MP.

He argues that the culture of political hostility, bred by the feeling of political exclusion every electoral cycle will only be addressed by shifting to a parliamentary system, where the election contest will end at the constituency level.

Speaking to Sunday Standard, Duale says the vertical sharing of political and economic power that is anchored by the presidential system had placed Mt Kenya region at an advantage over other regions, creating ethnic tension as other communities felt excluded in sharing of power.

Referendum call

“I pray that as the Building Bridges Initiative submits their report in addressing inclusivity, reducing ethnic politics and war on corruption among other things, they will recommend a referendum to usher in a parliamentary system where both political and economic power will be shared horizontally,” he says.

Duale maintains that he supports a system where MPs will in turn elect a prime minister, who will wield executive authority and respond to questions from the legislators in Parliament, together with the Cabinet who will also be members of the legislature.