In 2010, Kenyans voted for the country to have a new constitution, Deputy President William Ruto, however, was on the opposing side, going against the majority.
Going by the current debate on a plan to make changes to the constitution, a referendum is very viable, top of the concerns being the huge wage bill involved to run the 47 counties among other issues.
What many people do not know is that it was DP Ruto who successfully lobbied for the establishment of the 47 counties over the preferred 14 regional governments.
DP Ruto cut himself as a national figure in the 2007/2008 election. His rigorous campaign ethic marshaling the Kalenjin vote made him a prize token.
In the book Kenya: A Failed Quest For Electoral Justice, author John Onyango tells how DP Ruto plotted for the 47 counties in Naivasha.
He was a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Review of the Constitution that sat in Naivasha to review and recommend amendments to the draft constitution.
DP Ruto was at the time a displeased member of ODM after being overlooked in party leadership by Raila Odinga. In Naivasha, he wanted to solidify his friendship with then Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
Onyando writes, " He (Ruto) also abolished the three levels of government including 14 regional governments with district governments below them, instead, settling for 47 counties with substantially whittled powers."
The MPs at the conference agreed to reject the proposed regions which would have taken the powers of the purse away from parliament. In doing this, the MP's ensured they would remain relevant in national matters.
In Naivasha, Uhuru let Ruto do most of the talking only affirming the positions he espoused to.
That same year, Kenyans would overwhelmingly vote for the draft document which would then become the constitution we have today.
