Experts push for parliamentary system to end Kenya's governance, diplomatic woes

Former Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana speaking on Spice FM on August, 11 2025. [File. Standard]

Foreign policy experts are calling for Kenya to abandon its presidential first-past-the-post system, arguing that it fuels domestic failures and strains international relations.

Speaking on Spice FM on Monday, August 11, foreign diplomacy expert Ahmed Hashi urged the adoption of a parliamentary system, saying it would restore what he called the country’s ‘lost moral legitimacy’ under President William Ruto’s leadership.

‘We need a parliamentary system of government because, once you have that, the executive is in Parliament and can be checked in a truly fundamental way,’ noted Hashi. 

‘The past-the-post doesn’t work for us; it produces legal legitimacy without moral legitimacy. Half the population ends up excluded from the government, “ he added. 

Hashi linked stalled capitation payments to schools, high maternal mortality, and political patronage to weaknesses in the current system, adding that a parliamentary model could address such issues through stronger oversight.

Former Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana who also joined the interview supported the call for change but argued that the root problem lay in ethnic politics. 

“Unless we deal with negative ethnicity, we will keep having coalitions formed to serve kingpins rather than citizens,” observed Kibwana, citing the abandoned Bomas draft that proposed proportional representation.

Kenya has recently faced criticism from foreign partners over governance decisions, abductions, killings, and torture. 

The biggest diplomatic rift emerged after Nairobi aligned with China’s global initiatives, angering the United States and prompting calls to review Kenya’s status as a major non-NATO ally.

Hashi warned that Kenya cannot claim to shape the global order without first achieving strong East African integration. 

“We cannot be co-architects of a new world order right now… We can… if we bring East Africa together,” explained Hashi.

He also condemned military involvement in foreign civil conflicts, noting, “It’s not okay for Kenya army guns and bullets to be in the middle of a civil war.”