The Secretary-General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), Francis Atwoli, has revealed details of his meeting with President William Ruto on Thursday at State House in Nairobi.
Speaking on Saturday, the Cotu SG said the Head of State wants the opposition to continue exerting pressure on the government, especially on important issues affecting Kenyans.
“President Ruto agrees the Opposition must be strong and continue to do what it is supposed to do,” he said.
He went on to say that they worked out their political differences as a result of the heated national campaigns and agreed to work together under the current administration.
“We were discussing pertinent issues on national matters that concern us,” said Atwoli.
“The president received me well and we shared many light moments. I even admitted that I once said that trees need to be cut in Sugoi. He also admitted that he called me ‘mzee wa nyororo’.”
He noted that they further discussed precarious employment that was denying the government a chance to collect taxes.
“Government is not getting tax from outsourced labour. The employees are neither paying NSSF nor NHIF. Those are discussions we held with the President,” he said.
They also discussed Kenya’s ratification of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (C190), which was adopted in June 2019 to recognize everyone’s right to a work environment free of violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.
Atwoli on Thursday met President William Ruto a few days after giving signals of working with the Kenya Kwanza government.
He was in Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja camp in the run-up to the August 9 general election.
He campaigned fiercely against Ruto’s presidency, at one point going on record stating that Ruto will never succeed former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Atwoli was part of a delegation from the Luhya community that met Ruto at the State House on Thursday.
