Francis Atwoli - Fame, Force and Fury

FRANCIS LUMASAYI ATWOLI is the most flamboyant trade unionist and defender of workers’ rights in Kenya since the exit of Tom Mboya in the 1960s. Through sheer hard work, aggressiveness, and commitment to the labour ideals, Atwoli has made a name for himself not just in Kenya, but also in the region and globally. Presently, he stands shoulder to shoulder with the labor luminaries of yesteryears - Tom Mboya, Dennis Akumu, Clement Lubembe, Boy Juma Boy and Joseph Mugalla. Born in 1947 in Kakamega County, western Kenya, to a humble family, he had a modest childhood and education before entering the labour force as an employee of the then East African Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EAP&TC) at a young age of nineteen. He joined the trade union movement in 1967 in the position of a shop steward from where he rose through the ranks to the pinnacle of the umbrella organisation, COTU, and the regional and international labour movement. In Kenya's political landscape, he strides like a colossus and is perhaps the most influential personality outside the Presidency. How did he get there?