Atwoli to defend his position in elections next year - COTU board

The COTU board now says that Atwoli, who has served for 24 years as Secretary General, will be defending his position in elections scheduled for 2026.

COTU board members stated that their long-serving Secretary General would be defending his seat next year, dismissing sentiments expressed by SG Francis Atwoli on Saturday during the Stewards Shop meeting that he may be leaving COTU soon.

"People are assuming that he is not going to defend his seat come 2026, but the board members clarify and say he is the SG and he is going to contest and defend his position," Isaac Andabwa, Secretary General of the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU), said. 

On Saturday, Atwoli, who has served as COTU Secretary General for 24 years, had indicated that he would leave office soon.

"COTU is not me, and COTU in Africa, let nobody cheat you, is one of the most powerful trade union organizations," Atwoli remarked. 

"When COTU was first headed in Africa, the whole continent took international level organizations like Director General. It is not a joke. I want to tell you, it's not far. Those who were here when I started are no longer here. Very soon, I will exit with this group."

Despite indicating that Atwoli's position would be contested, the board indicated that the Secretary General's run would likely continue. 

"No one should assume there is a vacancy and that he is going to be voted back. Those who want to contest are free to do so, and he has given them a date, April 18, 2026, but the board is confident that they are going to vote him back since he is a performer and does his job diligently," Moss Ndiema, Secretary General of the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU), stated,

The COTU board's media briefing, convened two days after Atwoli's announcement of a planned exit, seemingly aimed to put an end to any speculation that the workers' umbrella body is about to undergo a change in leadership.