Unholy alliance between Cotu and State dims workers' voice

In 1962, Thomas Joseph Mboya left his role as secretary general of the Kenya Federation of Labour to become Labour Minister. Unwittingly, the mercurial workers' rights leader began Kenya's unholy alliance between the government and the premier workers' union.

On his departure, Mboya left the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) in the hands of his ally Clement Lubembe. In the early days of independence, Cotu worked with the government to set up a dispute resolution system. The Industrial Court (Employment and Labour Relations Court), which was an arbitration system of final resort, stands as one of the achievements of Kenya's trade union movement.