The 12 percent wage increment announced by President William Ruto on Labour Day has triggered a standoff between employers and workers’ representatives, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle over who benefits.
COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has pushed back against the Federation of Kenya Employers after it indicated the pay rise would only target minimum wage earners. Atwoli dismisses that position as misleading, insisting the directive was a broad-based increase for all workers. This was a section of workers led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who challenged Atwoli’s leadership, accusing him of abandoning workers and calling for an alternative workers’ organisation to rival COTU.
