Cotu Officials Abandoned at Uasin Gishu Labour Day Event
Two officials from the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu). Were the only attendees at the Labour Day celebrations held in Uasin Gishu County, President William Ruto’s backyard.
Representative of the North Rift Cotu Peter Odima and his deputy, Rodgers Ombati. Found the Eldoret Central Primary School grounds empty, except local journalists who had come to film the day’s festivities.
The pair, who had brought copies of Cotu secretary-general Francis Atwoli’s speech. Found themselves without an audience to deliver it to.
Mr. Odima accused the county administration, led by Governor Jonathan Bii, of not cooperating with Cotu to organize the celebration.
The county government had promised to provide tents, chairs, and other necessities. To ensure the success of the celebrations, but the county secretary went silent at the eleventh hour, leaving the officials stranded.
“By Sunday night, the county secretary had agreed to support us, but, unfortunately, he decided to ground us at the last minute,” Mr. Odima explained.
Mr. Odima was required to inform the County Commissioner not to attend to deliver the president’s address, as there was no audience to address.
According to him, he was surprised to find an empty field without the promised tents and chairs from the county.
“Because there was not even a chair for him, I had to ask our county commissioner not to attend the game. This is the first time that the Jonathan Bii administration has made us feel ashamed, said Mr. Odima.
Then, he distributed copies of Mr. Atwoli’s speech to a handful of reporters covering the event.
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Mr. Odima also lamented that his boss had sent him only copies of the speech without any logistical support to ensure a colorful celebration in the backyard of the president.
“Even my union has done nothing to support Labor Day celebrations in this region. “The only thing they did was send pamphlets of a speech, but they made no effort to learn about the celebration plans on the ground,” said Mr. Odima.
He challenged Governor Bii’s administration to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Jackson Mandago, whom he praised for his support of workers’ events in the county.
“I commend Mr. Mandago for the assistance he provided us during his tenure. I hope that his successor will follow in his footsteps,” said Mr. Odima.
The low voter turnout was also attributed to Kenyans’ difficult economic circumstances.
Mr. Odima stated that the majority of employees in Eldoret are poorly compensated, particularly private security guards who earn as little as Sh6,000 instead of the standard Sh16,000.
In addition, he accused regional employers of sexually abusing female employees.
“It is unfortunate that even as Eldoret prepares for city status, employers in this town are underpaid. According to Mr. Odima, many of our young women fear seeking employment in certain companies due to rampant sexual harassment.
Cotu Officials Abandoned at Uasin Gishu Labour Day Event
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