Orange Democratic Movement party leader Raila Odinga hailed Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o as a true intellectual who has never tired of evoking debates.
Governor Nyong'o launched 'Presidential or Parliamentary Democracy in Kenya?', a book which gives insight on the model Kenya should use in governance.
While addressing hundreds of people at Chandaria Center in the University of Nairobi on Tuesday, Mr Odinga said it takes a commitment for a county governor to sit and wrote a book.
"In a country where politics is driven on the basis of attack, counter attack and more attack, it takes real commitment for a county governor to reflect on critical national issues and put them in a book," he said.
"We have to congratulate prof for this rare achievement that is not wholly unexpected.We have had this tradition of leaders putting their thoughts into books to invite debate."
Mr Odinga said that Nyong'o had joined the league of Julius Nyerere, Oginga Odinga, Jomo Kenyatta among others who wrote books that evoked international debate.
He asked Kenyans to have an honest debate about the issues raised by Prof Nyong'o in the book, adding that the move would solve a number of challenges Kenya is facing.
"Am glad that in this room there are men and women who have lived by these broad beliefs and can testify about their necessity.
"Looking at the challenges the nation is going through, debating and reasoning are going to be critical. Through this book, we are being invited to discuss soberly, honestly and candidly some of challenges we face as a country," he said.
The country could be going for a referendum next year should parliament pass the Building Bridges Initiative report. Change of government system is one of key issues.