By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
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July 28, 2026 - Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said a parliamentary system of government would end the "tyranny of numbers" in Kenya, allowing the majority party in Parliament to form the government.
Speaking in Garissa during Devolution Sensitisation Week, Duale said those who opposed devolution had also rejected the parliamentary system, noting that proponents of the parliamentary model had offered them a choice between the two.
The CS said he and ODM leader Raila Odinga had championed a parliamentary system that would decentralise power to the constituencies, with the majority party forming the government.
"Those who had the tyranny of numbers refused the parliamentary system, but before I die, I hope there will be a parliamentary system of government," he said.
His remarks appeared to be a direct response to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who has repeatedly argued that pastoralist counties do not possess enough votes to decide a presidential contest, noting that pastoralists would command huge numbers if they formed a coalition with the Coast region.
The vocal CS said that if three of the largest communities united and formed a coalition, they would take over the presidency. He added that the Northeastern and Coast regions would also form a coalition to boost their numbers.
"Raila Odinga believed in a parliamentary system where a Pokot, a Mijikenda or a Somali could hold leadership positions," he said.
He used the opportunity to defend himself against accusations that he had been disparaging the Kikuyu community. Duale clarified that nobody had personally appointed him Majority Leader in the National Assembly, explaining that he held the position because of a coalition agreement between The National Alliance (TNA) and the United Republican Party (URP).
"Nobody made me Leader of Majority. We were in a coalition between TNA and URP. When William Ruto took the position of Deputy President, the next position was Leader of the Majority Party," Duale said.
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Gachagua has in recent months maintained that the political alliance he is assembling commands nearly eight million votes, which he says will be enough to unseat the President in the 2027 General Election.
But Duale disputed those figures, saying he had personally reviewed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) voter register and established that the numbers being cited by the opposition were exaggerated.
According to the Health CS, the regions being referenced by Gachagua account for about 3.5 million registered voters, not the eight million being claimed.
The event was attended by host Governor Nathif Jama, Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Shariff Nassir, Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, Garissa Township MP Dekow Bare, Sigor MP Peter Lochakapong, and other leaders.
The Mombasa Governor sought to clarify recent reports that some functions under Deputy President Kithure Kindiki had been transferred, blaming the media for what he said was misreporting.
He said it was a Cabinet resolution that issues to do with devolution needed to be presented before the National Assembly and the Senate, and that it was not the Deputy President who would delegate Cabinet resolutions to Parliament.
"This needs to be done by someone who is a Cabinet Secretary. What happened is that delegated power for purposes of regulations is what is given to the Prime Cabinet Secretary," he said.