NAIROBI, Kenya — The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K) has thrown its weight behind the establishment of the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF), describing it as a long-overdue structural intervention needed to transform Kenya into a modern, competitive, and dignified society.
In a press statement dated December 16, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli said the labour movement strongly supports the creation of the fund, arguing that Kenya has for too long postponed decisive reforms while infrastructure gaps continue to undermine productivity and economic growth.
“The establishment of a martial plan to transform our country into a modern society has been long overdue,” Atwoli said, warning against what he described as a culture of “burying our heads in the sand” while pretending that all is well despite persistent deficits in roads, housing, transport, sanitation, and digital infrastructure.
COTU said the NIF would help address chronic underinvestment by deliberately channeling resources into priority sectors, including roads and railways, ports and airports, reliable energy, affordable housing, water and sanitation, digital systems, modern logistics, and resilient urban planning.
According to the union, these investments are critical to job creation and sustained economic development.
The federation dismissed claims that the fund is unnecessary or ill-conceived, saying such arguments stem from fear of change and a lack of exposure to comprehensive development models.
It urged critics to assess infrastructure-led growth in countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, as well as closer-to-home examples in Kisumu, Eldoret and Kakamega, where modern infrastructure and affordable housing are already improving living standards.
However, COTU cautioned that its support is not unconditional. The organisation called on President William Ruto’s administration to uphold the highest standards of governance, transparency, and accountability in the management of the fund.
“We call upon the President to maintain a keen and uncompromising eye on governance, transparency, and management of these funds to ensure that every shilling collected serves its intended purpose and delivers real value to the people,” Atwoli said.
The labour body also warned that it would firmly resist any attempts—political or legal—to derail the initiative, arguing that the NIF is central to national development and workers’ welfare. COTU pledged to mobilise workers and professionals across sectors to support the fund and educate the public on its long-term benefits.
Drawing on historical examples, Atwoli said transformative development agendas are often dismissed as unrealistic at inception, citing leaders such as Winston Churchill and Lee Kuan Yew as figures whose visions were initially ridiculed but later vindicated.
“As such, COTU calls upon all Kenyans to rally behind this bold leadership and ambitious national agenda by President William Ruto,” the statement said, adding that Kenya’s future depends on the courage to plan, invest and build.
The National Infrastructure Fund has sparked debate nationally, with supporters framing it as a catalyst for growth and critics raising concerns over cost, governance and public burden—issues that COTU says must be addressed through oversight rather than abandonment.
