By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, 24 December 2025 - Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has reignited debate on constitutional reform by proposing that the 2027 General Election be conducted alongside a national referendum to address unresolved governance and constitutional questions.
Mudavadi said Kenya could take advantage of the 2027 polls to submit outstanding constitutional matters to the electorate through well-framed referendum questions, arguing that the country has reached sufficient democratic maturity to handle both exercises at the same time.
“We should use the 2027 General Election to deal with issues that have remained unresolved since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution by putting them into clear and sensible referendum questions,” Mudavadi said.
Speaking during an end-of-year media interview at CHAMS Media in Nairobi on Wednesday, the Prime Cabinet Secretary said discussions on the proposal should begin in 2026 to allow for public participation and national consensus-building.
“If Kenyans can vote for multiple leaders on one ballot, then we are mature enough to vote on two or three constitutional questions alongside the election,” he said.
Mudavadi, who also serves as Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, said such a move would place Kenya at the forefront of democratic innovation in Africa, following earlier milestones such as the Supreme Court’s nullification of a presidential election.
He argued that a referendum would offer a definitive platform for resolving matters that have repeatedly generated political disputes and legal contestation, particularly those that Parliament and the courts have struggled to conclusively settle.
“We cannot continue recycling the same arguments after every election. Where institutions are constrained, the people themselves should be allowed to make the final decision,” he said.
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The Prime Cabinet Secretary cited the stalled implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report as one of the issues that could be addressed through a referendum, noting that Parliament was mandated to act on its recommendations but progress has been slow.
“With the ongoing back and forth over NADCO, why not allow the IEBC to frame a question or two and let Kenyans decide through a referendum?” Mudavadi posed.
He said other contentious issues that could be subjected to a public vote include inclusivity in governance, the possible establishment of a substantive Prime Minister’s position, the fate of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), and the long-delayed implementation of the two-thirds gender rule.
Mudavadi dismissed concerns over the cost and logistics of holding a referendum alongside the General Election, saying the financial implications would be minimal since both processes would be run concurrently.
“There will be no major additional cost. Once the ballot is properly designed, Kenyans can easily vote for their leaders and express their views on constitutional questions,” he said.
According to Mudavadi, resolving such matters through a referendum would help stabilize the country politically by reducing post-election disputes and allowing successive governments to focus on development, job creation and economic recovery.
“We spend too much time negotiating governance structures after elections. A referendum would help settle these issues once and for all and give the country space to move forward,” he said.
He added that combining the General Election with a referendum would likely boost voter turnout and strengthen public ownership of constitutional reforms, marking a significant step in Kenya’s democratic evolution.
