The Central Organization of Trade Unions (Kenya), COTU (K), has issued an urgent call to the Government of Kenya demanding the immediate deportation of several Chinese nationals accused of assaulting, abusing, and demeaning Kenyan workers in separate but related incidents. The union has raised alarm over what it describes as a growing pattern of labour exploitation and physical and psychological abuse by rogue foreign investors operating within Kenya.
The latest outrage follows a viral video showing a Chinese manager at TCM Mabati Factory in Eldoret physically assaulting a Kenyan worker under his supervision. In a strongly worded letter dated 15th November 2025, COTU Secretary General Dr. Francis Atwoli wrote to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, condemning the assault as a “gross violation of the rights and dignity of the affected Kenyan” and demanding the worker’s abuser be deported immediately.
COTU (K) insists that the government must take swift action, warning that failure to act would amount to a betrayal of the trust Kenyan workers have placed in state authorities. The union further urged the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, to strengthen monitoring and enforcement of labour regulations relating to enterprises owned or managed by foreign nationals.
This shocking incident comes barely days after another disturbing case involving a Chinese national identified as Mr. Xiao Jianzhoung, operating within the Export Processing Zone (EPZ). In a letter dated 12th November 2025, COTU called for his deportation over allegations of extreme labour abuse and exploitation of Kenyan workers, including:
- Forcing workers to endure excessively long hours without fair compensation.
- Coercing staff to sing Chinese songs before, during, and after work as a form of intimidation.
- Denying basic human needs such as toilet breaks.
- Creating an environment of fear, psychological torment, and humiliation.
Mr. Xiao is also accused of verbally abusing and insulting the General Secretary of the Tailors and Textile Workers Union, who also serves as the Chairman General of COTU (K), an act the union considers not only a personal insult but an alarming attack on Kenya’s labour movement and national dignity.
COTU argues that the continued presence of individuals who blatantly violate labour rights undermines the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect expected between Kenyan workers and foreign investors. The union insists that the Government of Kenya must act decisively to send a clear message that no investor—local or foreign—will be allowed to mistreat Kenyan workers with impunity.
Dr. Atwoli emphasised that the Kenyan workforce is not “desperate labour to be abused,” but a respected pillar of the nation’s economy whose rights must be fiercely protected.
As public pressure mounts, Kenyans now await the government’s next move—one that will determine whether the country stands firmly for the dignity and rights of its workers or allows rogue investors to cross red lines with minimal consequence.
