But with the increasing retrenchment of workers, as firms and other organisations strive to cut costs and become leaner outfits, the clout of the unions is fading. The membership is declining. Cotu is no longer the powerful organisation it once was. This is not the Cotu of Juma Boy, for instance. Even Atwoli's predecessor Joseph Jolly Mugalla had it easier.

Atwoli has featured prominently in issues that have little direct connection with the trade unions. And he has emerged from some of the verbal brawls rather savaged and bruised.

The most memorable altercation was with Trade and Industry Minister Mukhisa Kituyi who dismissed the veteran trade unionist as a man with nothing between his ears, of course, his euphemism for lack of brains.

Atwoli had while criticising the minister over the failure to curb the flooding of the local market with cheap imported sugar, alleged that the former radical university student leader, scholar and human rights activist had a direct role in the woes afflicting the sugar sub-sector. It's a claim Dr Mukhisa vehemently refuted.

As the acrimonious exchange raged, more public sympathy eventually went the Atwoli way, with many feeling that he had been hit below the belt, what with the minister's acerbic tongue!

The dust has settled on that one, but Mr Atwoli is back in the limelight, this time accusing two prominent Narc politicians of behaving like matatu (commuter taxi) touts. This is his public reaction to the raging Narc wrangles, pitting the Liberal Democratic Party against the National Alliance Party of Kenya.

But he has, in going after the politicians, unfairly savaged the matatu fraternity. They are not the most popular; they are rowdy, chaotic, crazy and more. Obviously, it's these negative attributes that Atwoli may have had in mind when he hurled his barbs at the politicians. It's also true the behaviour of the wrangling politicians has not endeared them to the majority of their fellow Kenyans.

Ten months into the Narc administration, hopes are waning because a lot more had been expected. However, the wrangling between the rival factions is being fuelled by the mindless exchange of insults.

A week ago, the person who came off worse in this war of words is Starehe MP Maina Kamanda. His Kiswahili oratory displayed in Meru has been buried in his shameful choice of words. He not only called LDP leading light Raila Odinga Lucifer, but also used unprintable words denigrating motherhood. 

Rightly, the public is incensed, forgetting for a moment that even Odinga's disparagingly referred to his adversaries as dogs barking to please their masters. However, in trying to square it out with Odinga, Kamanda has ended up antagonising a huge constituency.

Mr Kamanda won't be remembered for the eloquent delivery of his remarks. It's his mindless outburst.

And Kisumu East MP Gor Sunguh is rubbing salt into the wound by accusing Mr Kamanda and his ilk of trying to depict President Kibaki as a deity with his not-so-wise reference to Mr Odinga as Lucifer.

This reminds me of a Catholic priest, who during Mass berated the congregation for "being blind and deaf". That they should open their eyes and ears to see and hear all the evil that abounds in society. All said in very good faith, and what better metaphors could one use to drive home such an important message.

The only trouble was that there were some blind and deaf people and their spouses, children, siblings, friends and acquaintances in the church. There was deafening silence and the priest may have believed it was because he had driven the point home far too eloquently and clearly. I wonder if the folly of his choice of examples ever dawned on him later.

Which reminds of my university lecturer who many years ago told of how difficult it is for two people on an equal footing to rubbish each other. 

To justify colonialism, for instance, the imperialists had to reduce the subjects to a much lower level -- semi human beings and savages, to justify their subjugation in order "to civilise them".

Even when we "discipline" our own children, we don't often fondly call them by their own names and go ahead to smack them. "Look at this dog or cow", is a good mental justification, then we can whip them. 

What kind of leaders we have will easily show through their choice of language.

E-mail: jkagunda@nation.co.ke

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