Mutua, a former spokesperson for the Azimio la Umoja coalition, becomes the latest ally of opposition leader Raila Odinga to join the government following the March 2025 pact between Ruto and Odinga to form a broad-based government.

President William Ruto has appointed Prof Makau Mutua as the Senior Adviser on Constitutional Affairs in the Executive Office of the President.

In a statement posted on X, the President described Mutua as a seasoned legal expert with extensive experience in constitutional and human rights matters.

“I have appointed Prof Makau Mutua as the Senior Advisor of Constitutional Affairs in the Executive Office of the President. Prof Mutua brings a wealth of experience in legal, constitutional and human rights matters,” Ruto said.

Mutua, a former spokesperson for the Azimio la Umoja coalition, becomes the latest ally of opposition leader Raila Odinga to join the government following the March 2025 pact between Ruto and Odinga to form a broad-based government.

The appointment, however, has stirred discontent among some ODM members, who have opposed the pact and pledged to chart a separate course ahead of the 2027 elections.

Prof Mutua’s appointment comes a week after Ruto named Jaoko Oburu Odinga—son of Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga—as Special Advisor for Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods.

A Kenyan-American scholar, Mutua is a former dean of the SUNY Buffalo School of Law and currently teaches international human rights, international business transactions, and international law.

He has long been a close ally of Odinga, having served as spokesperson for his 2022 presidential campaign. He is also a former Vice President of the American Society of International Law and chaired Kenya’s 2003 Task Force on the Establishment of a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission. Capital News