Editor's Review

Francis Atwoli has served as the COTU Secretary General since 2001. 

The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has maintained that he will soon exit the union.

Speaking on May 1 during the Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Atwoli said he has served all the Kenyan presidents since independence, and President William Ruto will be the last one he will serve before leaving the labour union.

Atwoli expressed confidence that other trade unionists have the capabilities to steer COTU forward and champion the needs of workers.

“Recently your excellency when we were with you in Nyanza, I did mention that you are my last president for me to serve, I have served all the presidents in the republic of Kenya and also assured stewards recently that as you see me here I am contemplating to exit but then because we have democracy, and there are people watching what we are doing weather we are responsive to workers needs.

“A section of our executive board met and gave another resolution that they have confidence in me, but I want to assure them as much as we have had our song which says our solidarity is forever, we call ourselves brothers and sisters and this does not mean that as we enter into the year that it can only be Atwoli who can lead the labour movement,” said Atwoli.

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File image of COTU SG Francis Atwoli.

The COTU boss also also said that the organisation was democratic and independent and would respect whoever the workers chose to lead the union.

“Our organization is democratic we are free and independent and among our affiliates 42 of them, they know your capabilities, abilities to articulate issues concerning workers and they will make a decision and we will respect it,” Atwoli added.

This comes days after members of the COTU executive committee endorsed Atwoli to defend his seat in the next election slated for next year

The committee said that Atwoli is the ideal person to continue defending the rights of workers’ unions in the country.

“It is our choice, it is our decision, and it is the Kenyan workers’ voice that we still want Francis Atwoli. It is purely democratic. There is nothing wrong. Nobody can fault our decisions on any grounds,” Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) secretary-general Moss Ndiema stated.

Atwoli is the long-serving COTU secretary general and has headed the union since 2001.