Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli on Monday had a Twitter alteration with senior counsel Ahmednasir Abdulahi over being a billionaire.
It all started when the counsel asked Kenyans on social media about who gagged Atwoli.
"Who gagged Mzee Francis Atwoli? Is Camp David in Kajiado closed?" Ahmednasir posed.
But after a few hours, Atwoli hit back at the counsel saying that he can choose anywhere he wants.
"I can choose to work from my office in Nakuru; Solidarity building; Khartoum; Brussels or Geneva. While I am currently busy negotiating for salaries in Nakuru you are busy swindling money from clients," he said.
He added:"The Kajiado meetings are on strategic political issues. I am a trade unionist."
Without letting things cool, the counsel told Atwoli that he will one day be tasked to account for his billions, something that he said the trade unionist will find hard to do.
"One day Atwoli will be forced to account for the billions he has...one day...one day...." he said.
However, Atwoli denied being a billionaire adding that he is just a hard worker.
"I‘m not a billionaire. I am just a hardworking man who enjoys the sweat of my work. But unlike you I am a generous man," he said.
"I share the little that I have with friends. So please don’t confuse my generosity for being a billionaire. Kenyans know me for my work. What are you known for?"
Last year, Atwoli who was being interviewed on NTV listed his assets.
He said that he has two bank accounts – a savings one and a current one – adding that he has 26 cows, 15 of them being in Khwisero and 11 in Kajiado.
Atwoli said he as been working for more than 50 years, adding that no one should question his wealth.
Atwoli has emerged as the force to reckon with in Western as the country hurtles towards the 2022 general election.
His dalliance with President Uhuru Kenyatta and by extension the handshake has placed him at a high political pedestal.
Atwoli leads a pool of Uhuru’s fierce defenders in the Western region, having resolved to back the head of state's agenda in the remaining two years of his governance.
The trade unionist is also a key champion of the Building Bridges Initiative. His vocal support for the initiative clearly ranks him as the face of BBI in the region.