The curtains of KANU regime had just been brought down and enthusiasm eclipsed minor but yet important occasion in Kenya's state house.
After 24 years in power, President Daniel Moi had handed over to Mwai Kibaki in 2002 after a rather chaotic ceremony at Uhuru Park, an event which saw Moi's motorcade smeared with mud.
Interestingly, recalls Lee Njiru, a long time aide of Moi, the then Head of Public Service and later on a minister in grand coalition government, Sally Kosgei, had lost her shoes in the event.
Things would get even tough for the long serving secretary to the cabinet when Moi was being airlifted from State House to his Kabarak home, a routine by the KDF to retired presidents.
"It was humiliating experience. Sally was literally crying as we watched. She had no shoes at the moment and everyone was watching her at statehouse," he recalled in an interview with Daily Nation.
But in an earlier interview with the paper, the former Aldai MP refuted that she cried because of Moi's departure, insisting that her emotions were precipitated by the mistreatment during the function.
"I cried because of the work we had done (preparing handing over). I did not cry because of Moi. I cried for democracy," She claimed.
Later in 2007, Ms Kosgei would win Aldai constituency seat on ODM and was subsequently appointed Minister for Higher Education. In 2011, she swooped postion with William Ruto in the Agriculture ministry.