Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has refuted claims that he gifted his nephew a new car worth Ksh8 million for performing well in the recently released Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
The claims, which went viral on Facebook and X for the better part of Friday, January 9, showed an image of Atwoli handing over car keys to a young man standing next to a Prado tied with a ribbon.
The posts widely shared on social media alleged that Atwoli had reportedly awarded the young man a car for his academic excellence, triggering mixed reactions online.
"Francis Atwoli gifts his nephew a brand new Toyota Prado worth Ksh8 million after he posted exemplary results in his KCSE exams," read the caption of one of the posts.
While some Kenyans commended Atwoli for the great gesture towards his relative, others expressed concerns over the credibility of the information as they sought Atwoli's clarification.
"I don't think it's right for these wealthy people to give their children or relatives cars. I think it would have sounded better if they were to award the schools," commented an online user.
However, the COTU boss came out to dismiss the post, labelling it as fake and misleading, and further urging Kenyans not to fall for such social media propaganda.
The clarification comes just hours after Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba released the KCSE examination results, with over 270,000 students hitting the minimum university entry grade of C+.
Ogamba, while addressing the press yesterday morning, reported that 1,932 candidates scored the top grade of A (plain), an improvement compared to 1,693 candidates in 2024.
Moments after the release of the national examinations, celebrations erupted in different parts of the country as students, parents and teachers shared their joy for the great performances.
In Kenya, some politicians have, in recent years, gifted their children publicly for high performances in their national examinations, a matter which has always sparked debate among the public.
For instance, last year, a renowned politician gifted his son a Ksh5 million car for reportedly scoring an A plain in his 2024 KCSE examination in a year in which 1693 students got A plains.
