Kenya’s long-serving trade union leader Francis Atwoli has poured cold water on calls for youthful political leadership, insisting that experience, not age, is what the country needs to thrive.
Speaking on Monday during the opening of the Employment and Labour Relations Court Annual Symposium at Strathmore University in Nairobi, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General said seasoned leaders provide stability and tested vision.
“Let no one tell you that this country needs young leaders,” Atwoli declared. “Nowhere in the world. How old is Donald Trump? Even the Italian president is 93, he has to be assisted to the podium.”
Atwoli, who has led COTU for 24 years, pointed to his own tenure as an example of why continuity matters. “Why do you think workers in Kenya have stuck with me all these years? They don’t want to let me go,” he said.
His remarks come at a time when debates about generational change in leadership are intensifying. Advocates for youthful leaders argue that fresh ideas and innovation are critical in a country where more than 75 percent of the population is under the age of 35.
At the same event, Atwoli turned his attention to social protection, stressing that safeguarding families was the most effective way of protecting children.
“We have advocated for stronger social protections and we know the best way to protect a child is to ensure that the parents have dignified livelihoods,” he told the gathering.
Chief Justice Martha Koome, who presided over the symposium, called for urgent action to end child labour. “If we are to take seriously the promises of our constitution, we must take seriously the fight against child labour,” she said. “Child labour is an evil in our society. It robs children of their dignity and their future.”
Justice Antony Mrima of the High Court echoed the sentiment, urging collective responsibility. “The elimination of child labour cannot be done by the judiciary alone. May our conversations in this symposium inspire bold and practical steps to protect children and secure their full potential,” he said.
Now in its third edition, the symposium is focusing on the theme “Elimination of All Forms of Child Labour and Access to Justice.”
