The Central Organization of Trade Unions (Kenya) has called for the immediate deportation of a Chinese national filmed assaulting a Kenyan worker at TCM Mabati Factory in Eldoret, terming the incident a blatant violation of labour rights.
In a letter addressed to Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said the viral video circulating on social media—showing the alleged factory manager physically attacking an employee—reflects a growing pattern of abuse by some foreign investors operating in Kenya.
Atwoli said the union is “deeply concerned by the prevalent cases of abuse of Kenyan workers,” warning that COTU will not tolerate discrimination, intimidation, or mistreatment of local employees by foreign supervisors.
The labour umbrella body also linked the Eldoret incident to a similar case reported last week at the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), where COTU had raised the alarm over a Chinese investor accused of forcing workers to sing Chinese songs before, during, and after work, and reportedly verbally abusing the General Secretary of the Tailors and Textile Workers Union.
“At this rate, the dignity of Kenyan workers is under direct threat,” Atwoli wrote, insisting that anything short of deportation would undermine worker confidence in the government’s commitment to labour protection.
COTU has urged the Ministry of Transport—working jointly with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection—to tighten regulatory oversight over enterprises run by foreign nationals, including enhanced monitoring and enforcement of labour standards.
The union says it expects swift government action on the Eldoret assault case to send a strong signal that violations of workers’ rights will not be tolerated.
