How Raila Odinga shaped Kenya’s path to devolution and democracy

The late Raila Odinga emerged as one of the architects of Kenya’s push for constitutional change.

From his role in the reintroduction of multiparty politics in 1992 to launching the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), the late Raila fought for constitutional reforms that sought to relinquish Executive power and share resources more equitably with the masses.

The late Raila Odinga's four-decade legacy in the struggle for constitutional rights and democracy dates back to the 1982 coup attempt, when he was arrested and charged with treason.

Over the next decade, the late Raila was detained without trial multiple times for his pro-democracy activism and spent a total of nine years in prison, including a period in solitary confinement.

Upon his release from prison in the early 1990s, the late Raila joined the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD), which successfully agitated for the return of multiparty democracy in Kenya.

He thereafter advocated for a push for a new constitution in Kenya through the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC). However, CKRC's path was marked by political conflict and competing interests.

Established under the Constitution of Kenya Review Act of 2001, CKRC's mandate was to create a new, comprehensive, and “people-driven” constitution for Kenya.

However, internal divisions over the extent of presidential power and devolution led President Mwai Kibaki's faction to produce a revised “Wako Draft” that significantly weakened the proposed devolution — a move which the late Raila strongly opposed.

The Wako Draft was rejected by the public in a 2005 referendum, which strengthened Raila's push for more radical constitutional reforms.

With constitutional reforms becoming a key part of the peace negotiations following the 2007–2008 post-election violence, the late Raila was instrumental in the formation of a committee of experts that produced the harmonised 2010 draft constitution.

The final constitutional text, which included a two-tiered power-sharing system with 47 counties, was ultimately passed by voters through the 2010 referendum.

The late Raila is credited with being instrumental in the creation of the 2010 constitution, which established a devolved system of government and significantly curtailed the extensive powers of the presidency.

Raila's push for constitutional reforms was reignited in 2018 through the Building Bridges Initiative. The constitutional review effort, however, suffered a blow after the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional.

But even in the last years of his life, Raila continued to advocate for constitutional reforms, focusing on enhancing devolution and clarifying the roles of different government arms through the NADCO report.

In August 2025, the late Raila pushed for the transfer of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) to county governments to prevent the centralisation of power in the capital.