Francis Atwoli. PHOTO | COURTESY

Francis Atwoli, the flamboyant Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) secretary-general, is a man whose other name apparently is controversy. In the run-up to the August 9, 2022 General Election, he was a close confidant of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

Atwoli not only hosted Raila and his campaign team at his Kitengela mansion in Kajiado County several times but was also quite dismissive of the candidature of Kenya Kwanza Alliance flag bearer William Ruto.  But Ruto was declared winner in the controversial poll and his victory was sealed with an endorsement by the Supreme Court.

And before long, Atwoli had switched sides and called on new President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, pledging his loyalty and had condescending things to say about Azimio. Within no time, he sounded like he had been a Ruto supporter forever, declaring that Azimio had absolutely no chance against him because of his better organisation.

The 73-year-old veteran trade unionist is a wealthy man, who has held onto the top Cotu job for so long that it now feels like he has a lifetime tenure. And he has not given any indication as to when he will ever relinquish that plum position. And the word retirement is certainly not in his vocabulary.

Well, Atwoli, whose net worth was in September estimated at Sh2 billion, is in the news again and it is about the Francis Atwoli Road in the national capital’s posh Kileleshwa suburb west of the city centre.

Dik Dik Road

The High Court on Monday, September 25, revoked the May 2021 decision by the city county government to rename Dik Dik Road at Kileleshwa after the Cotu chief.  The court ruled that there was no public participation in the decision to rename the road.

This comes two years after vandals torched the road’s signage. This sparked a frenzy on social media with some Kenyans condemning the act while others endorsed the destruction. 

Two years ago, vandals torched the road’s signpost, in a continuation of the protest against the honour bestowed on a man they felt did not deserve.

 But is it much ado about nothing? Mark you, there is no road in Nairobi named after even the first Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. The name of the independence hero and pan-African statesman does not feature on any landmark in Nairobi, showing the “politics” and machinations that go into the process of bestowing such honours.

Atwoli is a Kenyan of no mean achievements and wears his successes and wealth on his sleeve. He owns posh and palatial homes in Nairobi, Mombasa and in his home constituency of Khwisero in Kakamega County. He also owns some property overseas.

Golden colours

He has bragged on TV before that his daily attire is worth millions of shillings. The man is known for his flashy bling bling in his favourite golden colours

In switching to support President Ruto’s administration, Atwoli is now on the same political side with another bitter former Raila Odinga ally and aide, controversial Canada-based lawyer Miguna Miguna.

In  2019, Miguna took him on, tweeting: “Francis Atwoli did not answer my two questions. Why does Atwoli focus on dancing, showing off bling and supporting despots instead of advocating the creation of employment for youth and for workers to earn a living wage and to have UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE?”

Atwoli stunned TV viewers some time back with his effusive praise for his young new wife, Mary Kilobi, a seasoned broadcaster who is half his age, and mention of his Sh5 million Swiss Frank Muller gold watch during an interview.

17 children

A true family man, Atwoli has 17 children from his three marriages. His first wife is Jenifer, his second, who is now estranged from him, and with whom he has differed politically in the past, is Roselinda Simiyu and Mary whom he dotes on. His children include renowned psychiatrist Lukoye Atwoli, who is the firstborn,

The veteran trade unionist is also known for his posh lifestyle and immense love for Rhumba music brewed in Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2019, Nairobi-based Congolese musician Evala Mbuta and veteran crooner Nyboma Muandido, a star from the early 1970s, composed a birthday song for him titled, Atwoli Birthday 6.6.  He had turned 70.

But he was further immortalised in the great tradition of Congolese music with a song by songstress Faya Tess and Nyiboma, extolling his greatness as a campaigner for workers’ rights. It is simply titled. Francis Atwoli. The video features Atwoli with the songbird at his beachfront mansion in Kilifi County. It had a year ago notched up 631,000 views on YouTube.

In December 2021, Atwoli invited the two great musicians to Nairobi to entertain his family during the festive season.

He may have been stripped of the road honour, but Atwoli could not have wished for better than his pivotal place near the heart of power as he savours his favourite Lingala music and other nice things of life.

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