The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) has dismissed the petition against the re-election of its Secretary General, Francis Atwoli, saying the petition is baseless and only driven by politics.
In its Wednesday statement, March 18, the union argued that the election of the Secretary General was conducted in accordance with the union’s constitution and regulations. It also challenged the credibility of the petitioner, saying the petitioner was not affiliated to any union and did not take part in the election.
Atwoli also pointed out that the high turnout was evident in the election, with 92 percent of the eligible delegates participating in the election, which was far above the minimum required of 51 percent.
The petitioner took the case to the Employment and Labour Relations Court, saying the election was conducted contrary to the union regulations and that some of the labour unions involved in the election were excluded.
However, the union argued that the unions involved in the petition were not fully paid-up members of the union and therefore could not vote but were only present as observers.
It was also pointed out that the petitioner had a prior relationship with fake academic documents.
As the case is already in court, the union also pointed out that the petition against the election is an attempt to undermine the union leadership ahead of the 2027 General Election.