Devolution will define elections in Kenya

The first serious attempt at some form of devolution in Kenya collapsed by 1965 when the Jomo Kenyatta regime systematically dismantled Majimbo (regionalism) as provided for in the Independence constitution. That Constitution was a compromise between the Kanu and Kadu political actors at the time and the colonial power, Britain. So the provisions for a devolved system at the time were fairly weak.

The regions— Coast, Rift Valley, Central, Western, Nyanza, Nairobi, Eastern and North Eastern Provinces— never had a chance to rake off at all. North Eastern, in the grip of the secessionist Shifta war, was quickly put under the national government’s control with ruthless security operations that left bitterness to date. The national government starved the regional governments of funds and they folded up. But the desire for a system of devolved power and resources never died and was manifest in different forms for the next four decades. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 gave devolution the most powerful expression and anchorage, which has not been easy to dismantle by the anti-devolutionists, some of who remain fairly powerful.