Kenya is full of characters. There is always somebody who wants to interest you in a chat about the most ridiculous things in the most obscure places. My latest escapade involved the security guard at my workplace. I can’t quite remember where, between ranting about his wife and complaining about the government, that we settled on discussing work conditions. When I hinted that I was going on leave for a month, he fell silent for a second, then said in the most resigned tone:
“I have never been on leave for 5 years.”
“Atwoli has been in COTU for 21 years,” I joked, thinking he had misspoken. Then he reiterated with further explanation.
“Every time I want to go, something comes up”.
I remember when unions worked. Kenya has a successful history with unions. It was Tom Mboya who, after the colonial government put restrictions on the formation of political parties, opted to fight for independence through unions. The unions were as key to fighting for the needs of the workers as they were for independence. That move alone (not discounting his charisma) made him one of the key Pan-Africanists at the international level in his early thirties.
Wilson Sossion, once at the helm of the now-defunct KNUT, was instrumental in advocating the plight of teachers. At one point in 2015, the teachers’ strike lasted five weeks of push and pull between the union and the government. At that point, there was at least evidence that they tried.
Even recently, Uber drivers organized themselves into something resembling unions to fight for themselves against what they saw as exploitation from the company. And to some extent, it worked.
But recently the problems in our unions are glaring. The first problem of the unions in the country is that they have become too politicized. There is no clear line between who is a union leader and who is a politician. Francis Atwoli, who is supposed to be the custodian of the workers, makes more appearances on JKL than most politicians. His appearances there are to make it worse, not to discuss workers’ issues but to discuss endless politics and to flaunt flamboyance: Quite counterintuitive if you are the one who represents workers in the country.
The other issue, which is of far greater concern, is the influence of our politics on our social life. Just as our political leaders, union leaders have become erratic and unreliable. It’s akin to what has also happened to religious leaders. They are cut from the same cloth.
Take, for instance, the issues that intern doctors have been complaining about for years running. Why have the leaders never pushed for an ultimate resolution? Is there a benefit to the continuous strikes for leadership? After each round of strikes, the intern doctors return to work as dissatisfied as they were before the strikes.
There is, of course, the danger that comes with strong unions. Strong unions can strong arm the government into doing whatever. It can become even more dangerous if organized crime finds a way to control unions. In the USA, for example, the rise of the Italian mafia from the mid to late 19th century can be attributed to the rise of strong unions. Even in Kenya, in some way, the matatu sector, once captured by Mungiki under the pretense of advocating for their rights, turned out to be predatory. We must be wary of that.
The danger of strong unions aforementioned, though concerning, can be averted in the future. The plight of workers is immediate and primary. We should dignify their state before we can solve any consequences-That is if any arises at all. If we don’t better our unions in every sector, then we are moving towards a nation where the government has ultimate power. That’s always the first step into a totalitarian regime.
Happy Labour Day.
