Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli has refuted claims that he is having an affair with a married TV anchor, saying he was warned by his late father against fooling with married women.
“One thing I cannot do in my life is to have an affair with somebody’s wife. My late father warned me never to fool around with someone’s wife,” he said.
Speaking during an ILO workshop in Kisumu, Atwoli vehemently denied the claims doing rounds on several blogs that he is having an affair. “Somebody has been trying to tarnish my name on social media by claiming that I took his wife. That is madness.”
There have been several claims that the trade unionist is having a steamy affair with KTN news anchor Mary Kilobi.
Brother Atwoli as those under the Trade Union he leads call him is said to be having a steamy affair with KTN news anchor Mary Kilobi who is also a married woman.
Kilobi is married to Nelson Wamboka, a politician and personal assistant to Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa.— Muthui Mkenya ?? (@MuthuiMkenya) August 3, 2018
Bungoma politician with a taste for rich women caught extorting COTU boss Francis Atwoli
Bumula constituency 2017 parliamentary loser on a Ford-Kenya ticket Jack Wamboka has been exposed for trying to extort Francis Atwoli over claims that Atwoli snatched the politician’s wife.— Muthui Mkenya ?? (@MuthuiMkenya) August 1, 2018
As reported by the above unverified twitter handle, it is believed that Ms Kilobi, who also hails from Bungoma County is married to Jack Wamboka, a politician from the same county and currently working in the Devolution Ministry with CS Eugene Wamalwa.
Both Mary Kilobi and Wamboka have not made any comments concerning this damning allegations but the outspoken Atwoli could not let it go.
Atwoli said he married his wives after “serious investigations” on their character. The COTU secretary spoke during the official opening of an ILO workshop in Kisumu.
“Of my several wives, I asked their parents if they were single before I married them,” he said.
The outspoken secretary general said he married his youngest wife legally after getting consent from her parents. Atwoli said Francis Wangara, a long-serving workmate, “helped in arrangements to get the girl”.
He said he has several daughters and is willing to give their hand in marriage to suitable suitors.
“I’m willing to give any man, irrespective of age, as long as they are in love. Let them pay dowry, and we bless them to start their lives,” Atwoli said.
The controversial trade unionist is an advocate of polygamy, arguing that it is the only way to reduce the number of single women in society. “The world over, there are more women than men (about 65 percent). If we don’t marry many wives, who will marry our daughters? I am encouraging my sons to marry more than three wives so that we can reduce the population of unmarried women. It’s a taboo in our community to bury our daughters where they were born, they must be married somewhere,” he said in 2016.
At the same time, he asked the stewards to adopt the new ILO policy that has guidelines on the restructuring of free independent collective bargaining
Atwoli said trade union leaders should demand one on one consultations on how technology will affect workers.
“Technology is eating into jobs, don’t be compromised. You must demand consultations with employers on the impact of this technology,” he said.
“Don’t allow yourselves to be beggars. A real man must maintain his manhood and a real woman must take care of her womanhood. Once you become a beggar and keep knocking on employers’ doors, you lose dignity,” he added.
Atwoli said the war on trade unionism requires sober minds.