Three MPs from Garissa county among them national assembly majority leader Aden Duale have urged the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) to suspend further collection of public views from Kenyans and instead recommend a pure parliamentary system of government.
Speaking in Qone area Balambala sub-county Saturday, during a funds drive in aid of local Islamic institutions, Duale said as elected leaders they will rally the residents of Northern Kenya to support the system.
A parliamentary system is one where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the confidence of the legislature.
In a parliamentary system, the head of state is usually a person distinct from the head of government. This is in contrast to a presidential system, where the head of state often is also the head of government and, most importantly, the executive does not derive its democratic legitimacy from the legislature.
“As leaders from the pastoralist community we are urging the BBI team that is led by our very own senator Yussuf Haji to stop wasting time and resources collecting views and instead propose a referendum that will see the country adopting a parliamentary system of government,” Duale said.
Duale blamed the current system of election where the winner takes all, to post election violence and deep ethnic divisions in the country.
“Every 5 years we go to elections and immediately after we cast our votes the fear of clashes becomes evident. We start fighting over disputed results. The end result is always not good. That is why we want the parliamentary system which we think will cure all this problems,” Duale noted.
On her part Ijara MP Sophia Abdinoor said they will support a pure parliamentary system in the event a referendum is held.
“We want an all-inclusive government where every Kenyan will feel equally represented irrespective of where he or she comes from. It is only through the system that Kenyans from all tribes including those from pastoral and minority groups will get representation,” Sophia said.
Dadaab MP Mohamed Dahiye said that it is only a parliamentary system that will bring inclusivity.
“We will support the parliamentary system because we believe it is the best for everybody. It will address all the gaps that are in the current constitution,” Dahiye said.
BBI has been going round the country collecting public views from Kenyans on how best the country should be governed.
Their terms of reference is drawn from the 9 point agenda that include Ethnic antagonism and competition, Lack of a national ethos, Inclusivity, Devolution, Divisive elections, Safety and Security, Corruption, Shared Prosperity and Responsibilities and Rights.
By Jacob Songok
