The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General, Francis Atwoli, has denied reports that he had fled the country after the August 9 presidential election.
In a statement dated Friday, August 12, Atwoli dismissed reports that he had left the country due to political pressure associated with the outcomes of the presidential vote.
The outspoken trade unionist flagged a photo of him at a foreign airport as fake, saying he was still in the country.
Explaining the context of the viral photo, Atwoli disclosed that it was taken when he had travelled to Malaysia.
"Somebody using my old photo while arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, five years ago," Atwoli stated.
The viral photo shared on different social media platforms insinuated that the COTU boss was leaving the country after provisional presidential results showed Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, trailing his Kenya Kwanza counterpart, Deputy President William Ruto.
Atwoli further dismissed reports that he had ordered some media stations to stop their presidential election results tally.
"That is not my role. And I don't have such authority because the Kenyan media is independent. In any case, an announcement is going to be made soon."
Atwoli was one of the top political figures who endorsed Raila for the presidency.
He was also part of the campaign team that popularized Raila's candidature across the country.
According to provisional results from IEBC, Raila garnered 27,997 votes in Khwisero constituency, Kakamega County, the home area of the trade unionist.
Deputy President William Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) garnered 5,201 votes in the same constituency.
Atwoli's constituency delivered 83.6 per cent of the votes cast to Azimio, boosting Raila's numbers in the Western Kenya region.
