KPAWU Re-elects Atwoli as General Secretary Unopposed

Veteran trade unionist Francis Atwoli has been re-elected unopposed as General Secretary of the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (KPAWU) for another five-year term.

The election took place during a delegates meeting at Tom Mboya College in Kisumu on Saturday, where union members overwhelmingly endorsed Atwoli's leadership.

The delegates also gave him the green light to contest for the position of Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K) in the upcoming August elections.

"I want to thank the members of the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union for re-electing me unopposed for another five-year term," Atwoli stated following his victory.

He went further to reaffirm his commitment to workers' welfare by advancing their interests.

"With this re-election and endorsement to contest for the position of Secretary General of COTU(K), I wish to affirm my commitment towardsadvancing workers' interests and improvingtheir welfare."

Atwoli has served as the General Secretary at the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union since 1994, and was later appointed as COTU-K Secretary General in 2001.

Perhaps most striking is the growth he has overseen at COTU-K, where membership has surged from around 300,000 workers to more than four million, transforming the organisation into one of the most powerful labour voices in the country.

Among his proudest achievements was challenging to get labour rights written into the 2010 Constitution, giving workers protection that goes beyond just policies and regulations.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and threatened livelihoods across the nation, Atwoli stepped up to negotiate critical relief measures with the government.

These included cutting VAT from 16 per cent to 14 per cent and completely exempting workers earning below Ksh24,000 from PAYE tax, putting much-needed money back into the pockets of struggling families.

At KPAWU, Atwoli has remained a fierce advocate for agricultural workers, consistently pushing for better pay and conditions through Collective Bargaining Agreements.

In 2020 alone, he secured a 31 per cent salary increase for some workers. Beyond the numbers, he has championed safer working environments and dignity for plantation labourers, many of whom had long been overlooked in Kenya's economic conversations.

But Atwoli's impact isn't confined to Kenya. He has carried the concerns of African workers to international platforms, becoming the first person to serve four consecutive terms on the International Labour Organisation Governing Body.

Today, he holds top leadership positions across the continent and beyond, including President of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, Vice President of the International Trade Union Confederation, and Chairman of both the Global Workers' Awareness Fund and the East African Trade Union Confederation.