The Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) has welcomed President William Ruto's decision to scrap the government's deals with Indian firm Adani Group.
In a statement on Friday, November 22, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli noted that the decision by President Ruto has restored the confidence of workers.
"The Central Organization of Trade Unions (Kenya), COTU (K), wishes to thank President Willaim Ruto for the bold, timely and unequivocal action following the cancellation of the Adani contracts.
“This Presidential proclamation, issued on Thursday during the second State of Nation Address in Parliament, has restored the confidence of workers across all sectors but mostly those represented by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) under the Kenya Airports Authority,” Atwoli remarked.
He further stated that the cancellation of the deals serves as a reminder to government agencies that proper consultations with Kenyan workers are essential before implementing any reforms.
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“With the cancellation of Adani, we wish to remind all agencies of the state and government that proper consultation with workers is a must prior to any strategic reforms. Further, this bold move by the president is the clearest indication yet that the success of the Kemya Kwanza government will be rooting out any suspicious deals and the successful prosecution of corruption cases," Atwoli stated.
Additionally, the COTU boss noted that the organization will continue advocating for the promotion of social dialogue among the tripartite partners to achieve inclusive economic growth
During his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, President Ruto cancelled the procurement process by Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) with Adani on upgrading JKIA and also the already signed Ksh95 billion Adani-Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) deal on building and operating power transmission lines in the country.
The Head of State noted that the new orders were informed by new information regarding the integrity of the Indian company.
Consequently, the president directed the relevant procurement offices to immediately seek alternative private entities interested in the two projects.
