Kenya will next week host the 5th Congress of International Confederation of Trade Unions Africa (ITUC-Africa).
President William Ruto will officially open the conference Tuesday next week at Safari Park hotel, Nairobi.
Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli said on Friday preparations which have been underway towards ensuring the success of the congress are complete.
He made the announcement after the 111th Cotu Executive Board meeting held on Friday at Solidarity Building, Gikomba, Nairobi.
He said among the key on agenda during theITUC-Africa is the thorny issue of the rising cost of living.
"I'm appealing to my colleagues, workers, our affiliates during the opening ceremony to turn up in large numbers because this is the first time in our history to host such a huge regional conference in Nairobi this year," Atwoli said.
"I want to thank the organisers and my secretariat for the commendable job they did to organise the reception, the security, the availability of accommodation to our delegates and make sure that our delegates are safe," he added.
The conference will bring together more than 500 delegates including key public figures from across Africa and outside Africa including trade unionists and leaders in the Labour movement.
Atwoli sid most of the delegates are expected to start arriving in the country over the weekend.
ITUC-Africa, headquartered in Lome, Togo, is a Pan-African trade union organization that was established in November, 2007 following the merger of two former African trade union organisations; ICTU-Afro and DOAWTU.
"We understand the hard hit Kenyans as far as the cost of living is concerned and sometimes people don't want to hear that it is global but we need to address our own problems in our own unique way," Atwoli said.
ITUC-Africa has 17 million declared members and 101 affiliated trade union centres in 51 African countries.
Participants will foremost discuss the future of Labour in Africa and the role of trade unions in shaping and facilitating the attainment of a better Africa.
During Friday's meeting, the Cotu Executive Board elected Reverend Joel Kandie Chebii as chairman to replace Rajabu Mwondi who died in August this year.
Chebii, who has served in Cotu (K) for more than four decades, also holds the position of general secretary of the Tiles and Textile Workers Union.
Wycliffe Nyamwatta was, during the same meeting, elected the 2nd vice chairman general of Cotu.
Nyamwatta has been a member of the Executive Board of Cotu (K) for two decades now and continues serving as the general secretary of Kenya Engineering Worker’s Union.
