Atwoli Labels Hanifa 'Super Young Con Woman'
Atwoli cast doubt on Hanifa’s integrity, alleging that she pocketed millions of shillings meant to support young people who were injured or killed during the Gen Z-led protests in June and July 2024.
Marvin Chege 
Central Organisation of Trade Unions in Kenya (COTU-K) Secretary General Francis Atwoli on Wednesday, May 7, slammed popular activist Hanifa Adan, who recently joined the Nation Media Group (NMG) as a columnist.
In a hard-hitting statement, the firebrand trade unionist labelled Hanifa as a "Super-Young-Con-Woman" in response to her column in the Daily Nation, whereby she criticised the state of Kenya's leadership.
"Hanifa should be the last person lecturing anyone on leadership or the occupation of leadership positions, given her track record that is riddled with integrity concerns," he began in the statement posted on his X account.
COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli. /CITIZEN DIGITAL
Atwoli cast doubt on Hanifa’s integrity, alleging that she pocketed millions of shillings meant to support young people who were injured or killed during the Gen Z-led protests in June and July 2024.
"How, then, can the Super-Young-Con-Woman position herself as a credible voice on leadership when she failed so blatantly during the one critical moment when she was called upon to lead?"
In her article, Hanifa criticised COTU’s recent move to back Atwoli for yet another term as Secretary General — a position he’s held since 2001.
Titled “The lie we grew up with: You are tomorrow’s leaders,” her piece highlighted the disconnect between COTU’s decision and the urgent need to bring young people into leadership roles, particularly in influential bodies like COTU.
“For 23 years, one man has sat at the helm of the country’s most powerful workers’ umbrella union. In that time, the job market has changed completely, workers’ rights have been trampled on, and youth unemployment has reached crisis levels.
"Yet COTU clings to the same leadership without question, as if fresh leadership is a threat, not a necessity,” a paragraph in the piece read.
However, Atwoli was having none of that. He clarified that COTU was an organisation that accommodated Kenyans of all ages, including the young.
"For her information, COTU (K) represents young, old, employed, and unemployed Kenyans, and the issue of youth leadership cannot be reduced to simply holding the position of Secretary General," he continued.
"As it stands today, the COTU (K) secretariat is highly youthful, with over 80% of our workforce under the age of 40. And as the Secretary General, I have ensured that young people have opportunities for meaningful service within COTU (K), including creating space for youth representatives on our Executive Board."
To conclude, the longtime COTU chief fired back by urging Hanifa to prioritise explaining how she handled the over Ksh30 million in public donations she was entrusted with, rather than writing opinion pieces.
A public audit of the funds has already been released.
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