THE STANDARD
NATIONAL
Francis Atwoli has been the face of labour movement for close to two decades, having been elected as Cotu secretary-general for the first time in 2001.
And as workers today celebrate International Labour Day, Atwoli shares insights on the growth of the trade union from 300,000 members to the current four million, past vicious fights for positions by officials and government interference.
He also reveals how the late trade unionist and Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya inspired his journey to the movement instigated by the need to protect the common interests of workers and in response against industrial capitalism.
Labour Day, which is celebrated on May 1, was birthed following an agitation by workers against government labour policy and in demand for an eight-hour workday in Chicago’s Heymarket in 1886. Several people were killed in the protest.
THE STANDARD
POLITICS
Francis Atwoli re-elected as Secretary-General for fifth term. [Collins Oduor, Standard]
In the trade union circles, he is a fighter for the rights of workers while in his Mulembe backyard, he calls himself an elder and a kingmaker.
In the national political sphere, he is a fixer who claims to foretell the country’s leadership and governance direction.
He has mentioned in the Press a number of times that he is the third most powerful person in the country after President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
And on Friday, Francis Atwoli got another five-year term to lead the vibrant Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) as the secretary-general after he was re-elected unopposed.
THE STANDARD
NAIROBI
COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has been at the helm of the trade union since 2001. [File, Standard]
Francis Atwoli was on Friday, April 9 re-elected as the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General for a fifth term.
Atwoli, 71, was declared COTU boss unopposed by trade union representatives who convened at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu.
The veteran trade unionist was first elected as COTU Secretary-General in 2001.
Taking to his Twitter page on Friday morning, Atwoli said: “I want to thank all Kenyan workers for re-electing me unopposed, through their registered trade union representatives, as the Secretary General of COTU-Kenya. I promise to service (sic) you with all my mighty (sic) and strength, and not betray the trust you have bestowed in me.”
All the 34 members of the secretariat and executive board were elected unopposed in an election which was conducted at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu and presided over by an official from the Ministry of Labour on Friday.
Mr Atwoli, in his acceptance speech, thanked the 250 delegates for having faith in his leadership and reinstating him at the helm of the vibrant labour union.
“Through my election, I commit to always champion for the rights of workers and I will not be cowed,” he said.
“Now that your effort to defend the rights of your workers have been paid through your reelection,” he told the delegates, “you should not tire to stand with what is always right and reject any kind of oppression.”
The Central Organization of Trade Unions (Kenya) officials among them the Secretary-General of the organization, DR. Francis Atwoli, were among the 471 Kenyans awarded a State Commendation during the 2020 Jamhuri Day Celebrations. Cognizant of his role in the labour movement not just in the continent but in the globe, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta feted COTU (K) Secretary General with an Order of the Burning Spear award referred to as the first class chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS). The Order of the Burning Spear award has three classes, namely, first class (Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear), second class (Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear) and third class (Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear).