COTU secretary general Francis Atwoli has disowned a woman who introduced herself as his wife at the Bungoma rally graced by deputy president William Ruto.
Roselinda Simiyu was ushered to the podium by DP Ruto during the rally where she spoke and introduced herself as Atwoli's wife.
"... mzee wangu anaitwa Francis Atwoli na niko ndani, ndani ya Hustler," she said.
Loosely translates to: " ... My husband is identified by name as Francis Atwoli and I am a loyal member of Hustler Nation".
Video footage of her speech went viral on social media prompting Cotu SG to respond.
In his statement, Atwoli said Roselinda is no longer his wife.
"She is no longer on the list of my relatives," Atwoli said in a tweet.
In 2018, Roselida said her entry to politics in 2007 was after consultations with the Cotu SG.
“I told him I wanted to make a change. He agreed and promised to support me in politics. When he was contesting for a political seat for the first time, as the wife I supported him even financially with the money I had saved to buy myself a car," she told Radio Jambo in 2018.
Roselinda, now aged 57, said she was married to Atwoli at the age of 30 and they stayed together for more than two decades until she was instructed to leave.
“I met Francis in 1996 when I was a chairperson at the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers,” Roselinda claimed in the same interview.
After the alleged separation, Atwoli later said that she had married KTN news anchor Mary Kilobi whom he said he had eyed for years.
The two are currently living together as husband and wife.
