Bonface Kanyamwaya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than 10 years of financial, economic, business, markets, and aviation expertise, providing insights into Kenya and global trends.

Long-serving Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) secretary-general Francis Atwoli will run again to defend his position in the upcoming pool slated for next year.

COTU executive board members confirmed that Atwoli, who is now 74-years-old, does not have plans to relinquish his seat, adding that his name will be in the ballot.

Atwoli has been the secretary-general at COTU for the last 24 years.

Assuming he vies again and clinches the seat next year, this will mean that he will have served for three decades at the umbrella workers body.

"Atwoli said on April 18 that he would issue a notice on the elections. As board members, we have already endorsed him. We have no other candidate among us," said the board members during a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday, April 29.

The board members said that Atwoli was still fit to be the secretary-general at COTU, urging individual with ill motive to rock the organisation to back off.

They said that election process at COTU are guided by law, a process that that starts only once the Ministry of Labour has issued a calendar of events.

"We want to call upon them to slow down. COTU has its rightful members and a constitution, "the board added.

"There is this thing called social media. It's not in China, it's controlled. The church must speak out, especially about platforms like TikTok. We cant have such a society. Young people on social media have never worked in unions, yet they spread misinformation and incitements," said Atwoli who was also present during the media briefing.

Meanwhile, Atwoli is going to defend his seat next year barely a few weeks after he hinted that he will retire in 2032.

The trade unionist had said on Saturday, April 12 that he will retire once the term of the current President William Ruto ends in 2032 assuming he is re-elected again as the president in 2027.

"I have had the honour to serve in three regimes; I served during Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and now William Ruto. I might serve for the last time in Ruto's government and return to Khwisero," the trade union said then.

Atwoli has been championing for the rights of workers at the helm of the workers umbrella union as its secretary general for more than two decades.

Source: TUKO.co.ke