Former Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion now says calling for Azimio leader Raila Odinga's retirement is not disapproval, but a form of respect to him.
Sossion said the former Prime Minister has made a lot of contributions in relation to political development and the growth of democracy in the country.
He said because of this contribution, Raila is regarded as an 'elder statesman' which is who many see him to be in the country.
He said if Raila refuses to retire, circumstances will force him into retirement.
"The Bible says that at 50, man must retire and when it is retiring it is not condemnation, you are getting into a stature of respect and if you don't retire circumstances will force you to retire," the former teachers' union boss said.
His remarks were borrowed from the Bible, in the book of Numbers 8:23-26 where God said to Moses, "These are your instructions regarding the Levites: At the age of twenty-five they will join the workforce in the Tent of Meeting; at the age of fifty they must retire from the work. They can assist their brothers in the tasks in the Tent of meeting, but they are not permitted to do the actual work themselves."
The former Knut SG said by working together with Raila, Kenya has become one of the best democracies in the world.
He said by working together, even ethnicity has diminished.
"All of us Kenyans appreciate that Raila has done a lot in terms of political development in this country and where he is we can categorise him as an elder statesman," Sossion said on K24 TV.
"That is his stature. But in terms of the politics of the day, and has been stated by Peter Orero here, the who is who in Kenya has walked closely with Raila Odinga and that's a fact."
Sossion said people who have held high offices in the country have previously worked with Raila but currently, there is the reality of new dynamics in leadership.
This comes even as the Azimio leader on Sunday insisted that he will exit the political space at his own volition.
Raila made the remarks as he told off leaders who have insisted that it is time for him to work on his succession plan after losing out on the presidency for a record fifth time.