Francis Atwoli is the Secretary-General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), a position he has held since 2001.
The career trade unionist has served in different workers’ unions for the last 40 years starting as the Branch Secretary of the defunct Union of Posts and Telecommunication Employees in 1971.
Atwoli serves in a number of organizations and boards as a result of his prominent position in COTU.
These include; Chairman of East African Trade Union Confederation, Vice President of International Trade Union Confederation, Deputy President of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, member of National Labour Board of Kenya among other national and international bodies.
In 2019, Atwoli was elected as a member of the International Labour Organization in Switzerland on the recommendation of the president of the International Trade Union Confederation Africa region.
As he champions the rights of workers, Atwoli has been vocal about local and national politics often making his stand clearly known on different issues.
Atwoli served as a non-Executive Board Member of the National Bank representing the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) until 2019 when the bank was acquired by Kenya Commercial Bank.
He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology and is also a recipient of the Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) and the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) awards.