Francis Atwoli Sentenced To Jail

Francis Atwoli with Education Minister Hon. Mutula Kilonzo

 Cotu Secretary general Francis Atwoli was on Friday, 12th October 2012 ordered to serve a 3 -Months jail term or pay a fine of Kes. 500,000.00 for defying a court order by inciting tea pickers to go on strike.

Appearing before Lady Justice Isaac Lenaola at Milimani Law Courts, Atwoli was further ordered to place a public apology in two Kenyan Local dailies within a period of 21 days.

 

Atwoli was found guilty of calling for a strike by tea workers in violation of a court order stopping him and other officials from doing so. This successful application was done by Kenya Tea Growers Association and they sought to have Francis Atwoli and some Officials of Agricultural Workers Union (Kenya), be sent to jail for failing to obey orders barring the workers strike. In His Argument, Atwoli claimed that he was never served with the court order, and just like the rest of the public, he only saw the order as an advertisement on one of the local dailies. A claim which was dismissed by the judge.