Former President Daniel Arap Moi gave stern conditions that would see him leave power willingly.
Reports by Daily Nation indicated that this was towards the end of his long-serving reign that saw him rule for 24 years.
In 2002 a secret meeting was held in the White House between the then US President George Bush and Moi. The former president was in the company of the one-time Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Dr. Sally Kosgei and the then Energy Cabinet minister Chris Okemo sought assurance over his safety and protection if he left power willingly.
According to insiders, the meeting was sought because he believed that Western nations wielded a lot of influence on political succession, especially in Africa.
According to Dr. Kosgei, President Bush was concerned about the tendency of African leaders to hold on to power whenever their terms came to an end.
He, therefore, wanted Moi to lead by example by voluntarily relinquishing the presidency when the time came.
According to Sally, Moi then returned to Kenya and in “an act of good faith” the former President met the top military brass in a symbolic “handover” ahead of the December 2002 General Election.
This was to show that he had no intention of clinging on to power.
In July 2002, Moi went ahead to publically declare current President Uhuru Kenyatta as his preferred KANU presidential candidate.
Uhuru was however beaten by Mwai Kibaki, who in his address did not give Moi a chance to bid Citizens goodbye, Nation reports.
Bush's guarantee that he would accord Moi the safety he needed however encouraged him to boldly proceed with his retirement plan.
