Former EALA MP and Head of the Wiper Party Presidential Secretariat and Campaign, Abubakar Zein Abubakar, has died. Abubakar passed away on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at Avenue Hospital in Nairobi.

He served as a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly between 2012 and 2022 and was a key figure within the Wiper Party, where he headed the Presidential Secretariat and Campaign team.

Zein was appointed to the Wiper Party leadership by Kalonzo Musyoka in December 2024 and remained vocal on governance and policy matters until his death.

Zein was among the architects of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, having served as a Commissioner of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC).

The Constitution of Kenya Review Commission was a prominent expert body established under the Constitution of Kenya Review Act of 1997 to spearhead constitutional reforms. It operated from 2000 to 2005. The Commission was chaired by Prof. Yash Pal Ghai.

The Commission, of which Zein was a member, initiated the constitution-making process by engaging ordinary citizens and collecting views. It also received written memoranda from individuals, groups, and organizations.

The Yash Pal Ghai-led Commission eventually produced the “CKRC Draft”, which became the “Bomas Draft” after the National Constitutional Conference held at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi in 2004.

Between 2009 and 2010, the Committee of Experts (CoE) was established under the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, 2008, following the Post-Election Violence of 2007/2008. It was chaired by Dr. Nzamba Kitonga.

The Committee of Experts harmonized and refined all the drafts and produced the “Proposed Constitution, 2010”. A referendum was held on the Proposed Constitution, and Kenyans voted YES on August 4, 2010.

Zein will be buried on Friday, July 9, 2026.