Rev. Joel Kandie Chebii Announced as the New General President of the Labour Body
Central Organisation of Trade Unions-Kenya (COTU-K) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has announced the election of Rev. Joel Kandie Chebii as the new General President of the labour body.
In a statement to newsrooms on Friday, Atwoli said Rev. Kandie has served COTU for the past four decades and is currently the General Secretary of the Tile and Textile Union.
Rev. Kandie’s election by the COTU Executive Council follows the death of long-serving President General Rajabu Wellington Mwondi while undergoing treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu in August this year.
Atwoli also announced that Wycliffe Nyamwatta, who has served on COTU’s executive for two decades, had also been elected as the union’s second deputy general secretary.
He urged the newly elected officials to continue working to improve the rights and welfare of Kenyan workers.
“Stability is the key to any organisation and as COTU (K) we will continue to ensure that the union is united and stable to serve Kenyan workers,” he said.
The COTU leader also briefed the gathering on the ongoing preparations to ensure the success of the 5th Congress of the International Confederation of Trade Unions (Africa), ITUC-Africa, a pan-African trade union organisation based in Togo and formed in November 2007 after the merger of two former African trade unions.
“COTU (K), which is affiliated to the ITUC-Africa, is privileged to host the 5th Congress of the ITUC this year, which will bring together more than 500 delegates (from across Africa and beyond), including trade unionists and leaders of the labour movement,” said Atwoli.
“Participants will come together to discuss, in particular, the future of labour in Africa and the role of trade unions in shaping and facilitating the achievement of a better Africa.”