During his sun set days as President of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta would be thrown into two opposing sides over succession battle, reports the Sunday Nation.
One group, led by former powerful Attorney General Charles Njonjo backed Daniel Moi while another faction, led by Dr. Njoroge Mungai, a personal doctor and cousin to Kenyatta, led anti-Moi campaigns.
With Kenyatta's health deteriorating, Mungai team crafted a change-constitution-movement that called for deletion of a clause that allowed Vice President to automatically succeed the president in case he died or was declared incapacitated.
And Njoroge, then the Defense Minister, managed to bring Jaramogi Oginga Odinga to his side, despite their traditional differences.
The team held several rallies across the country before Kenyatta advised them against adding that the calls could distabilize the government.
Later, they started calls to have KANU holding elections, another clever move to kick out Moi, then the Vice Chairperson of the party.
Under the line-up, they had Odinga as chairman of the party while Njoroge was to compete with Moi in Vice Chairperson position.
However, the plan did not materialise because Kenyatta, who was mandated to call for elections, would die in his sleep in 1978, August 22.
Because the status quo remained in operation, Moi would succeed him, a plan which saw Njonjo's group emerging victorious.
#historynow