Mudavadi pushes for referendum to be held alongside 2027 general elections
By Mabonga Makhanu, December 24, 2025Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has come out to push for a referendum to be held alongside the 2027 general elections.
While speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, Mudavadi said the referendum should be introduced as the seventh question during the 2027 polls.
According to him, since Kenyans will already be going to the ballot to elect the six elective positions, a seventh question should be placed on a separate ballot, just like the six elective slots to allow citizens to vote on key constitutional issues that have bedevilled the country for a long time.
“But we have an opportunity to correct some things, in my view, and this perhaps is the better time where we can introduce some referendum issues to this election,” Mudavadi said.
Mudavadi stated that holding the referendum alongside the 2027 general election would help save on costs that would otherwise be incurred if it were conducted separately.
He noted that since the 2027 polls will mark the end of the current political dispensation, the referendum would be best situated to take place at the same time.
He further argued that a referendum is the only way to implement the recommendations of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), which he said was one of the dreams of the late Raila Odinga, and to bring those proposals to life.
The CDF debate
Mudavadi also said that the only way to entrench the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) into the Constitution is through a referendum. The courts have repeatedly ruled against CDF and issued an ultimatum allowing MPs until June 2026 to complete ongoing projects, after which the fund will cease to exist, something that has made some MPs worry if it will indeed ever come back.
According to him, Parliament cannot resolve the matter on its own, insisting that a constitutional process through a referendum held on August 9, 2027, alongside the general election, is the only solution.
He added that the referendum would also address the position of the official Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, which has been a subject of public debate, as well as the proposed Senate Oversight Fund, which senators have been pushing for to enhance their oversight role.
Mudavadi said these proposals can only gain constitutional backing through a referendum.
“Is CDF constitutional or not constitutional? Yes, you’ll never solve that thing through the Parliament or Senate fund. Is it constitutional or not constitutional? You’ll never solve it through parliamentary initiative.
Mudavadi further argued that the country’s current constitutional challenges can only be resolved through a referendum.
Voter turnout
He concluded by saying that conducting the referendum alongside the general elections would likely increase voter turnout, noting that while some Kenyans are less enthusiastic about voting for individuals, combining elections with a referendum on constitutional issues would encourage more citizens to turn up and participate.
“It will improve voter turnout because if people have been reluctant to vote on the issue of individuals, you know, some just don’t want to vote for individuals. But if there are key constitutional issues, this is an opportunity, and there could be no greater opportunity,” he added.