Atwoli hits back in road signage row
Central Organisation of Trade Union (COTU) secretary-general Francis Atwoli has hit back at those who vandalized the road signage in his name.
The signage was burnt down on Monday night but it has since been replaced.
“Bringing down honorary road signage under my name doesn’t hurt me. On the flip side, it will haunt for life, those who are behind it. For how does it benefit them? How do you sleep at night knowing you are a vandal?” he posed.
Since it was erected in May, the signpost in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, has attracted varied reactions with a section of Kenyans on social media suggesting the veteran unionist doesn’t deserve to have a road to be named after him.
And Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongili alias Babu Owino is the latest to share some tips of advice to Atwoli.
Babu after expressing his sympathies advised Atwoli to erect an electric fence around the road signage to help keep it from being vandalized ever again.
He claims that this would be the solution to keep off some members of what he calls the evil society away from destroying the road sign over and over again.
“I want to request Hon Francis Atwoli to put up an electric fence around the signage to keep off some members of the evil society who are pretending to belong to civil society,” wrote Babu Owino on Instagram.
Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi together with city lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi have been among those on the forefront campaigning for the road to be reinstated back its former name, Dik Dik Road.
Below are some reactions from Kenyans following the recent Francis Atwoli road vandalism.
Francis Atwoli finally learns that there are Kenyans with low tolerance levels to mediocrity. To others of similar mindset as Atwoli, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN”. ^DoS pic.twitter.com/j72w0aK1Yj
— Nelson Havi (@NelsonHavi) June 15, 2021
Bruh. Hahaha.. karibu nichapwe nikipiga hio sign ya Atwoli picha. They actually forced me to delete the pic lmao ???
Anyway, they’re fixing the sign rn.
— DawgWhatHappened (@HumbledStallion) June 15, 2021
Whoever vandalized the Francis Atwoli signage should be charged with malicious damage of public property
— Lord Abraham Mutai (@ItsMutai) June 15, 2021
Atwoli has fought more for that signpost than he has ever fought for overworked, mistreated, underpaid workers in all the terms he has been in "service".
— Azula ⚡? (@jciku) June 15, 2021
Vandalising Francis Atwoli Road ostensibly because it was erected irregularly is lazy activism that must be condemned. You cannot persuade the right minded that fighting a perceived illegality by committing another illegality advances the rule of law.
— Steve Ogolla (@steveogollaw) June 15, 2021
ILLEGAL ATWOLI ROAD. The issue is not whether or not we name a road Dik Dik or Atwoli. The issue is about due process. The County cannot just wake up + change the name of a road. There has to be due process; THERE MUST BE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. That road sign is illegal. PERIOD! pic.twitter.com/IsrpWruGwh
— Prof. Alfred Omenya (@aomenya) June 15, 2021