NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 30 — Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Monday dismissed calls by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi for a constitutional referendum alongside the 2027 General Election, saying such proposals risk “creating unnecessary uncertainty”.Duale’s statement directly counters Mudavadi’s recent push for a seventh ballot during the 2027 polls, which the Prime Cabinet Secretary said would resolve long-standing constitutional issues, including boundary reviews, gender representation, and entrenchment of development funds.In a statement, the Health CS acknowledged Mudavadi’s concerns but stressed that legal and parliamentary procedures already exist to handle national questions, and that moving straight to a referendum could be premature and “potentially disruptive”.“Calling for a referendum on matters currently under parliamentary consideration may inadvertently undermine these lawful processes and create unnecessary uncertainty,” Duale said, emphasizing that not every issue qualifies for a referendum under the Constitution.He further pointed out that Kenya currently lacks a comprehensive legal framework to govern how a referendum should be conducted, and that existing constitutional mechanisms, including judicial guidance, are sufficient to address unresolved issues.‘Referendum moment’Mudavadi had, in comments ahead of Christmas, asserted that the country is at a “referendum moment” and suggested that unresolved electoral and governance challenges could jeopardize the 2027 elections unless addressed through a public vote.“We can use the 2027 election as the first example to have those issues crafted into sensible referendum questions that will help amend our 2010 Constitution,” Mudavadi said, proposing that a seventh ballot question be added to the electoral process.Seventh Ballot: Could it hurt Ruto’s 2027 re-election chances?Maraga: UDA plotting to scrap term limits and extend Ruto’s ruleMudavadi argued that the referendum would provide a timely solution to constitutional gaps that Parliament and the courts have struggled to conclusively resolve, including implementing the two-thirds gender rule and clarifying representation mechanisms.The debate has sparked a wider conversation about constitutional reform, with some political figures welcoming Mudavadi’s initiative as a necessary evolution of Kenya’s constitutional framework, while others, caution against conflating ongoing legislative work with the need for a national plebiscite.Retired Chief Justice David Maraga accused the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government of plotting to abolish presidential term limits in a bid to extend President William Ruto’s stay in power.