A civil war would have erupted in Kenya should president Uhuru Kenyatta proceeded with his threat of arresting Raila Odinga during his controversial oath, the latter has noted.
Since then, the two arch-rivals have buried their differences, a move that shocked the country in March this year.
While speaking at the Coast on Sunday, Raila also noted that his victory was stolen thus the Supreme Court's decision to nullify Uhuru's victory.
"The Supreme Court affirmed that I was right when I said we were rigged. We demonstrated to the world that our complaint was real.
"When Uhuru thought of arresting me, he rescinded his decision because a war would have broke out in the country. We all swallowed our pride for the sake of the country," he said.
About the handshake, Raila said his decision to look for Uhuru was guided by his passion of seeing the country progressing.
Further, he insisted on need to push for fundamental constitutional changes that would see all tribes accorded same treatment in leadership.