COTU SG Francis Atwoli Reveals How Govt was Ahead of Gen Zs
The Central Organisation for Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli on Saturday revealed ways the government was ahead of the anti-government protests led by young Kenyans.
According to Atwoli speaking in Kisumu, he had earlier advised President William Ruto to declare that all parastatals and ministries must have 10 percent of the employees as youth.
“I want to tell you that, we were ahead of Gen Zs,” he stated.
Atwoli explained that this was his proposal to end the skyrocketing rise in unemployment in the country which was one of the issues raised during ongoing protests.
The SG noted that this was similar to what the late President Jomo Kenyatta did in 1972 to employ more skilled young Kenyans.
He also fronted combining some counties arguing that one of the major concerns of young Kenyans was the amount of money spent in the devolved units.
The trade unionist emphasized that counties were among state institutions that took the largest share of the National government’s revenue reducing the amount of money for development.
He urged the president to ensure taxpayers’ money was well maximized across the country.
“Gen Zs have talked about counties, counties do not have money and there are so many. So we can look into ways into bringing some of these counties together, the way Gen Zs are suggesting,” he stated.
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Protests in the country began on June 28, with young Kenyans pushing back against the current regime, the high rate of corruption, increased taxes, and high unemployment rates.
According to a survey conducted by Infotrak and released on July 18, unemployment and the high cost of living were the major triggers forcing Gen Zs to the streets to demonstrate.
Kenyans complained that the current economic situation in the country had made it unbearable especially for millions of young graduates still looking for job opportunities.
Following the protests, several key events occurred such as the dismissal of all cabinet secretaries and the suspension of unnecessary travel.
President Ruto recently unveiled the new members of the next cabinet secretaries including some old faces from the dismissed cabinet and others from the opposition.
During his campaigns, President Ruto promised to create millions of jobs for skilled and unskilled youth.
COTU SG Francis Atwoli Reveals How Govt was Ahead of Gen Zs
