We will not allow Muchai back in Cotu, vows Atwoli

The rift between leaders of the well-heeled Cotu escalated on Saturday after boss Francis Atwoli vowed that they would not relent on their decision to oust deputy secretary-general George Muchai.

The Cotu secretary general announced that they would hold a meeting tomorrow to reinforce the decision.

And in an advert appearing elsewhere in this newspaper, Mr Atwoli accuses Mr Muchai of fabricating evidence presented to police officers.

He said Cotu had instructed its lawyers to charge Mr Muchai. Mr Atwoli accused the government of meddling in the affairs of the organisation, saying such moves were unacceptable.

He explained that 28 out of 29 members of the executive board resolved to send Mr Muchai home.

Contacted, Mr Muchai said he was not aware of the Monday meeting.

“It is hard to comment about  a meeting you know nothing about but all I can say is that the allegations the secretary-general has levelled against me are all rubbish, there is no basis in them at all,” Mr Muchai who is also the Kabete MP said. Mr Atwoli said rejection of Mr Muchai’s ouster from Cotu board by the registrar of trade unions was questionable.

UTTER PROOF

“This is utter proof that the government wants to continue its sudden infiltration into our affairs as a body; we will go back to our meeting on Monday and will still vote to remove Mr Muchai,” said Mr Atwoli.

In May, Mr Atwoli told Sunday Nation that their monthly income is Sh160 million, which translates to Sh1.9 billion annually.

He accuses his deputy of having an obsession of seizing the position of secretary-general.

“His claims that the Sh7 million sale was shared among the Cotu (K) secretary-general, chairman-general and treasurer-general and at the same time used by the secretary-general to purchase two vehicles, a Prado from Toyota and a Mercedes Benz from D.T Dobie cannot hold, since one can simply walk into these two motor dealers and ascertain if with Sh7 million you can acquire the two vehicles,” says Mr Atwoli.

He asked the registrar to read between the lines on the weight of trade unionism, asking those dissatisfied with being in any union of workers to leave.

“We are not opposed to more centres of labour unions; if anybody is not happy with staying around Cotu, let him leave and constitute your own trade union other than betray social justice,” Mr Atwoli told a meeting of officials of the Organisation of Africa Trade Unions Unity.

The meeting brought together unionists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, S. Sudan and Ethiopia.