Francis Atwoli is known as one of the most fierce critics of the deputy president William Ruto. More harsh than even Kieleweke stalwarts such as Wambugu Ngunjiri and Junet Mohammed of the Orange Democratic Movement party, the COTU leader has gone as far as saying that he knows for a fact the DP won’t be on the ballot come next year.
A statement that wasn’t taken lightly by the DP’s allies. Francis Atwoli, has however, now come out to disclose a 2013 incident that caused the major rift between him and the second in command.
Atwoli claims that in the aftermath of their unexpected and euphoric win eight years ago, William Ruto summoned him and other board members of the NSSF. In the meeting, the DP made some proposals which Atwoli claims he found to be unsuitable for NSSF, and communicated as much to the DP.
Unbeknownst to Atwoli, Ruto didn’t take kindly to his objection of the recommendations that he proposed. Consequently, when the cabinet was picked by Uhuru and Ruto days later, Kazungu Kambi, who, according to Atwoli was a Ruto nominee, was given direct orders as Labour CS to make life unbearable for Atwoli and company at the NSSF board.
Atwoli referred to former NSSF Managing Trustee Richard Langat as a boy who he had nurtured and chaperoned to head the parastatal, but Ruto and his cohorts such as Adan Doud Mohammed, who was the trustee chairman of NSSF, ensured that they fought Richard Langat and eventually kicked him out.
Francis Atwoli was speaking this on KBC’s Prime Edition show hosted by Jacob John Kioria.
The COTU Secretary General also claimed that it was due to the machinations of Ruto and his team that NSSF found itself mired in scandals such as the infamous Taasia deal which saw the body loose billions of shillings. He also went further to state that it was due to his objection to this questionable dealings that resulted in an attempt to kick him and Jacqueline Mugo out of the board of NSSF.