Kenya’s Disgraceful Labour Day 2018

COTU secretary general, Bro. Francis Atwoli

Watching the whole ceremony was, to say the least, morally destructive.

Apart from the sentimental stringing of songs that were a hit shortly after independence in 1963 like ‘Kenya yetu hakuna matata…’ and ‘Kenya nchi yetu tunaipenda’ and ‘heko jamuhuri’ among other post independence compositions, the rest of the celebration was discomforting.

Raila Odinga’s presence at the meeting was to a larger extent intimidating in a sense that all speakers made sure proper reference was accorded to the former prime minister. He came first in every speech lest any speaker run the risk of being a self-absorbed traitor.

The titles Right Honorable, Excellency, Baba, were shuffled at the pleasure of every speaker who were not ready to be booed off by the youthful, charged handful crowd at the ceremony and so they played ball.

That a handful of Kenyans showed up at Uhuru Park was also sadly predictable. The turnout was clearly occasioned by the rising cost of living among Kenyans of minimum expenditure and given the shenanigans witnessed in the attempt to solve industrial disputes in Kenya.

University lecturers' union leaders during a protest march

The ongoing lecturers strike is over 60 days old and with the current lag in negotiation, we may have the strike spilling over into the 70^th day before the budget is read in July.

The man of the moment was as usual, charged and ready to speak sense into the government through a speech that may have as well been titled ‘Someone Tell Duale’. Brother Atwoli was not careful to answer anybody who has shown the workers’ union their back.

Atwoli spoke to the politics of 2022 which has taken the euphemistic reference ‘the handshake’. He went on saying something about the 3 tier system and how certain ‘troublesome’ ethnicities will not feel satisfied after being bundled out of the presidency in 2022 – his minions agreed.

Setting aside for a moment the previously mentioned important observations let me speak to the heart of the occasion. The plight of Kenyan workers:

COTU (Central Organisation of Trade Union) must consider paying a qualified and competent communicator for the purposes of professional commentating on such functions such as Labour Day.

Commentaries require language fluency and some knowledge of the event. COTU, moving forward must know that that job is a serious one. To accord an international day such mediocrity speaks to our measure of workmanship, which I think is wanting. 

During Labour Day celebrations, workers and employers must convene and iron out existing squabbles and listen to all stakeholders who I believe are the citizens taking into account their expectations.

Some of the matters that should have been ironed out include the frequent fires that we have had in parts of Nairobi residential estates and accident scenes around the country that require the presence of the fire engines that we saw being displayed shamelessly.

County council officers whose jobs have been reduced to generation of tickets for motorists when they are not busy harassing wananchi at every street and taking bribes from hawkers as was revealed by the Africa Uncensored media group, in their exposé dubbed KanjoKingdom.

Driving schools that provide all services except properly equipping the drivers with the necessary skills for public service transport must be brought to account. 

Kenya’s electricity generating companies must take this opportunity to tell Kenyans why the cost of power is skyrocketing despite heavy rains experienced throughout the country.

Construction companies that continually assure us of quality buildings and road constructions must be held responsible for substandard construction equipment, some of which have not passed quality assurance standards.

Electricity distribution company, Kenya Power, which has admitted on the media their involvement in the unnecessary price fluctuations and overcharging consumers of their power consumption, must also be brought to book. 

The embattled National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Commission, which is bedeviled by mismanagement must come clean and tell Kenyans why the wrangles have overtaken any productive work at the body.

Kenyans must demand on such forums why our taxes are being used to bail out Uchumi Supermarket regularly despite their dismal performance and perpetual loss making.

Domestic workers' union members marching on at Uhuru Park during Labour Day celebrations. Courtesy: Standard Digital

And lastly but by no means the least, we must all demand answers as to what the domestic workers union have to say concerning the slavery and torture of Kenyans who go to the Arab Emirates for employment and tragically return in body bags.

Without such conversations, we have nothing to celebrate, not even the empty rhetoric and the 5% rise in minimum wage which means nothing for informal sector workers.