Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi has lobbied for an end to the presidential elections in order to end tribalism and political tension witnessed in the country during the electoral cycle.
Kiraitu made the recommendations to the Building Bridges Initiative task force which was in Meru to collect views.
The governor, who once served as a Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, opposed both the presidential and parliamentary systems of government.
"In my view, the country will always be pulled back by tribalism and political tension as long as we have a presidential or parliamentary system," he stated.
Kiraitu, who is also the head of the Council of Governors' Referendum Committee, was of the opinion that Members of Parliament who win the majority seats in Parliament should be given the powers to pick the president.
He explained that this was the best time to make the changes because President Uhuru Kenyatta is serving his last term.
Governor Murungi also supports the proposal to have lawmakers appointed Cabinet Secretaries and MCAs picked to serve in the County Executive Committees (CECs).
He argued that it would promote inclusivity of more tribes at the helm of power and end dissatisfaction among leaders.
Kiraitu added that "Given that the current power pyramid at the top is too narrow, the Constitution ought to be changed so that the top accommodates several ethnic groups."
The Building Bridges team is going around the country collecting the views of Kenyans regarding the governance and a possible referendum.
