Central Organisation of Trade Unions in Kenya (COTU-K) Secretary General Francis Atwoli on Wednesday, May 7, lashed out at journalist and activist Hanifa Adan over her column in the Daily Nation, where she criticised the state of Kenya’s leadership.
Through a strongly worded statement, Atwoli hit out at Hanifa, describing her as a “Super-Young-Con-Woman.”
“Hanifa should be the last person lecturing anyone on leadership or the occupation of leadership positions, given her track record that is riddled with integrity concerns,” Atwoli charged.
Atwoli, while questioning Hanifa’s integrity, accused her of pocketing millions of shillings raised by Kenyans to cater for youths injured or killed at the height of the Gen Z-led June-July protests in 2024.
“How, then, can the Super-Young-Con-Woman position herself as a credible voice on leadership when she failed so blatantly during the one critical moment when she was called upon to lead?” he quipped.
In her piece, Hanifa had expressed her displeasure with the recent decision by COTU to endorse Atwoli as their Secretary General for another term, a post he has held since 2001.
Her piece titled “The lie we grew up with: You are tomorrow’s leaders” contrasted COTU’s move with the need to incorporate youth into leadership positions, especially at critical agencies like COTU.
“For 23 years, one man has sat at the helm of the country’s most powerful workers’ umbrella union. In that time, the job market has changed completely, workers’ rights have been trampled on, and youth unemployment has reached crisis levels. Yet COTU clings to the same leadership without question, as if fresh leadership is a threat, not a necessity,” a paragraph in the piece read.
However, Atwoli dismissed Hanifa’s comments, expressing that COTU (K) was an inclusive organisation accommodating people of all walks of life and ages. He also opined that the presence of youth leaders in COTU should not be limited to his position.
“For her information, COTU (K) represents young, old, employed, and unemployed Kenyans, and the issue of youth leadership cannot be reduced to simply holding the position of Secretary General,” he expressed
“As it stands today, the COTU (K) secretariat is highly youthful, with over 80 per cent of our workforce under the age of 40. And as the Secretary General, I have ensured that young people have opportunities for meaningful service within COTU (K), including creating space for youth representatives on our Executive Board,” Atwoli added.
The long-serving COTU boss then proceeded to challenge Hanifa to focus on accounting for the public funds that were entrusted to her instead of writing columns. Hanifa was the custodian of over Ksh30 million shillings donated by Kenyans. A public audit on the funds was also released.
