News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo

The time is ripe for Kenyan politicians who are nursing presidential ambition to cast their political nets widely open while shopping around for suitable running mates to consider the possibility of including the COTU {K} Secretary-General in their teams.

Atwoli has the largest constituency in the labor movement; therefore his inclusion into the presidential race team as the running-mate could have a far-reaching and fruitful result to any party or presidential hopeful who chooses him as a running-mate.

Historically it should be remembered that the labor movement in Kenya had played a pivotal role in the struggle for independence and went as far as helping the Kenyan African National Union{KANU} into a sweeping victory in 1963 general elections that ushered in the political independence.

It could be remembered that its inception at the Kirigiti stadium in Kiambu town in June 1960, KANU immediately identified itself with the Kenyan workers. It was gradually built on the strength of the labor movement.

At the birth of KANU, the late Tom Mboya had won its coveted top office of the Secretary-General of newly established first black African colony-wide mass political movement ever since the colonial authorities banned the Kenya African Union [KAU} under the Sate of Emergency declared by the colonial governor in Kenya, Sir Evelyn Baring on October 20,1952.

The formation of KANU an that of its rival Kenya African Democratic Union {KADU} came as a hard bargain during the first round able constitutional conference in Kenya which was held a he famous Lancaster House in London between February and March 1960.

It happened that Mboya who had trounced Arthur Aggrey Ochwada with only one single vote for the position f the Secretary-General was at the time the most influential General Secretary of the defunct Kenya Federation of Labor {KFL}, which was the hen the umbrella of the labor movement I Kenya.

All the unions affiliated to KFL joined the fray. All the general secretaries of the unions affiliated to KFL mobilized the workers who in turn joined KANU en mass. Prior to the birth of KANU, the KFL had become the most effective voice of he workers in Kenya and also that of the African population frequently issuing statements on behalf of African population and is aspiration as well as the demand for political independence and the end of both the state of emergency and racial discrimination on jobs.

In its early existence as a mass political movement in Kenya , KANU survived mostly on resources and manpower provided by the KFL, which later propelled I-it into power in 1963.
It was also joined by splinters of African political parties which were given very limited chances to operate within the district level. This was so in the absence of any mass and colony-wide African political parties. Ii fact it as through the KFL unfaltering support that KANU successfully managed to over its rivals like the pro-white settlers KADU and other a the tie of the 1963 general election, which ushered in political independence.

And even today the labor movement could [provide the competing parties with a swing votes. This is the main reason why I have the opinion that any presidential aspirant whose party can settle on Atwoli as its running-mate could harvest maximum votes within the industries and from the plantation workers.

The outspoken unionist has built a large following not only among the workers, but the Kenya public at large. He is a robust- man who always prefer taking the bull by its horn and a fearless speaker when it come to the question of defending he Kenyan workers.

Atwoli always peaks his minds irrespective of how other takes hi views. He has built a strong constituency beyond parochial lines, tribal ethnic boundaries; therefore he could be an asset to the party that picks him up as a running mate to its presidential aspirant. Such a party would definitely harvest maximum votes from the workers and other Kenyans who have come to trust Atwoli as an untainted leader.

History is so kind and it tells us that the later Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana won and be Secretary general of the Trade Union Congress o Ghana {TUC}, while in Kenya the late Jomo Kenyatta’s accession to power was made possible owing to the organizational skills and mobilization ability of the politically genius Tom Mboya. It was Mboya’s dynamism and used his political magnanimity and skills in propelling KANU into victory n 1963.

Atwoli apart from c being the boss of COTU {K} is also the Secretary-general of the membership –rich Union of the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers. Also in his armpit is the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers.

Atwoli is known as a man who strongly abhorred the politics of sycophancy and as such would make a wonderful vice president of the Republic of Kenya. Ever since stepping into the helm of workers leadership, Atwoli has put the Kenyan workers into the world map. He is sitting o several key and important world-wide workers boards, important workers boards in the African continent.

Ends