Atwoli denies anti-Uhuru post, says he respects the Presidency

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has denied reports that he asked Kenyans to vote out President Uhuru Kenyatta during the next general elections.

In a statement sent to newsrooms, Mr Atwoli, currently attending the International Labour Organization meeting in Geneva, Switzerland distanced himself from reports doing the rounds on social media to the effect that he had called on Kenyans to reject President Kenyatta’s re-election bid on the grounds that he had run down the country.

“I want to inform Kenyans that this is propaganda, and whoever has an issue with the President should tackle him directly since Francis Atwoli does not speak through proxies or agents,” he stated.

“Any such malicious statements attributed to me are fallacious, and their propagators hiding behind parody accounts or otherwise should know better,” he added.

Mr Atwoli maintained that he recognises the institution of the Presidency and that at no time had he targeted Mr Kenyatta for attack on social media.

A Facebook page going by the name Kenya Political Forum had carried a report attributed to the Cotu boss to the effect that Mr Kenyatta’s re-election would cause Kenyans great harm.

Mr Atwoli is quoted in the post as saying that Mr Kenyatta’s re-election for a second term would leave the country wounded.

“We would be unfair to ourselves, to the future generation, and to God. Kenya is greater that Uhuru more than a million times,” the post says.