Francis Atwoli, Secretary-General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), has urged for constitutional amendments to prevent individuals from using the courts to delay or block government initiatives.
Speaking at a church service in Kakamega on Sunday, Atwoli called on President William Ruto to consider amending specific sections of the constitution that he believes hinder the effective execution of government projects.
“I want to tell the president, we will help him, but the battle he has is big,” Atwoli remarked. “First, he should help us amend the Kenyan constitution. When the president wants to introduce a project to assist us, people go to court to stop it. We must help him, and he will help us in many things.”
Atwoli suggested that certain constitutional provisions create obstacles that slow down the government’s ability to fulfill its promises to Kenyans.
“Let’s go back to our current constitution and look at those sections. There are some that will hold him back until the five years are over,” he added, speaking at an event attended by President Ruto.
Expressing his frustration with what he described as frequent court challenges to government projects, Atwoli continued, “Whenever you want to introduce a project, some people rush to court to block it, even though it’s a national government initiative.”
Atwoli also affirmed that the Western Kenya region is now fully aligned with the Kenya Kwanza administration. He issued a warning to individuals trying to create divisions within the region, stating that they would face arrest.
“I assure the president that here in Western, we are all now inside the government, and anyone on the outside, we will arrest them,” he said.