Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan confronted President Kibaki with the alarming figures of Kenyans who had been killed in the 2008 post-election violence before the National Accord was signed.

In a book revealing behind-the-scenes events that marked the 39-day mediation period, Mr Annan also speaks of “childish obstacles” such as sitting arrangements which he faced in his mission to defuse “an existential threat to Kenya itself”.

He credits the accord for helping Kenya get a new Constitution, which significantly rearranges the power equation.

But he expresses disappointment that the old order still fought back in such events like inviting Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir during the promulgation of the Constitution and failure to prosecute those accused of planning and executing the post-election violence.