Time Raila Begged Moi to Extend His Term - Sally Kosgei

For decades, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has often oozed a tough-persona outlook where one has to be forthright in order to get what they need.

According to former Head of Civil Service Sally Kosgei, the former premier, might have had a soft side during former President Daniel Moi’s regime since he asked him to extend his term.

In a sit-down with The Standard, Kosgei disclosed that Raila and his reformist team approached Mzee Moi ahead of the 2002 general election with a special plea for him to extend his term by six months to allow completion of the constitutional review agenda.

At the time, Raila was among the most powerful people in Kanu especially after getting elected as the secretary-general in March that year.

Former Head of Civil Service Sally Kosgei (pictured) disclosed that Raila wanted Moi to extend his term for

Kosgei disclosed that Moi turned down Raila’s request because it could be perceived as though he wanted to cling to power.

“They wanted six more months so that the Constitution could pass. In their reasoning, Moi was the best bet to deliver the Constitution given that he did not have a personal stake in the proposals that were flying around. Mzee wouldn’t have it.

“We did not want the politicians to confuse Moi. As the technical wing running the transition, we kept the focus and Mzee was determined to leave. You will remember that in his 1997 inauguration speech which I drafted, he himself kept repeating that he would be serving his last term,” stated Kosgei.

Kosgei further shed more light about the controversial 2002 polls explaining that they were carried out fairly.

“We worked all year round to deliver a transition. If there is one thing I would ever want to take credit for in my life, it was the steering of the transition process. We had countless meetings with electoral commission chief Samuel Kivuitu to deliver a credible poll. We met almost every day.

“We could have interfered if we wanted to. We had the power and the means. Every single person in charge of instruments of power is capable of achieving that end was sitting in that meeting. We never broached the idea,” clarified Kosgey.

Mzee Daniel Moi (right) and Raila Odinga at a Kanu-NDP delegates conference in 2001.