Francis Atwoli Clarifies Claims That His Life is in Danger

Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has dismissed a viral video circulating on TikTok, which falsely claims that he said his life is in danger and that he had sought protection from President William Ruto.  

In a brief statement on Sunday, June 8, Atwoli condemned the video, terming it misleading and outdated.

"Kindly treat this fake old video making rounds on TikTok with the contempt it deserves," he stated.

The clip, which appears to have been manipulated and recycled from a past media appearance, includes a fabricated headline suggesting Atwoli feared for his life. 

Notably, this comes days after Atwoli raised concerns over the looming threat of misuse of the Affordable Housing Levy.

In a statement on Tuesday, June 3, Atwoli expressed concern over new Affordable Housing Regulations adopted by the National Assembly, which he says open the door to potential diversion of the housing levy funds.

"As COTU (K) we have noted with great concern that the National Assembly has adopted a set of Affordable Housing Regulations, which, fortunately, are yet to be ratified by the Attorney General.

"If adopted, these regulations, which are in the possession of COTU (K), will introduce a loophole that could see Members of Parliament channel housing levy funds into projects that fall outside the core mandate of providing decent and affordable housing for Kenyan workers," he said.

Atwoli cautioned that the proposed regulations would expand the use of housing levy funds to non-housing initiatives, a move he says betrays the original intent of the levy.

"Under the Affordable Housing Regulations, housing levy funds may now, erroneously, be used to construct health facilities, pre-primary education centers, basic education centers, fire stations, police posts, social halls, markets, and open spaces, under the guise of ‘associated social infrastructure.’

"While these are all important public services, they fall well outside the scope of what Kenyan workers were promised when this levy was introduced," he added.

While reiterating the union's continued support for the Affordable Housing Programme, Atwoli made it clear that COTU would not stand by silently if workers’ funds were misdirected. 

"COTU (K) reiterates its unwavering support for the Affordable Housing Programme, but we will not stand by and watch as our members’ contributions are diverted away from the primary purpose of providing them with homes.

"We call upon the President to intervene decisively to protect the rights of workers and ensure that the Affordable Housing Fund is used solely and strictly for its intended purpose," he concluded.