Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has explained why she abandoned her plan to contest the Makadara parliamentary seat and opted to defend her Woman Representative position in the 2027 General Election.
Passaris said the decision followed consultations with ODM leaders and residents across Nairobi, who questioned her move to seek a constituency seat after serving the entire county.
Speaking on K24 TV’s morning show Politalks on Monday, Passaris said ODM leadership also wanted the Woman Representative seat retained by the party.
“The party came to me and said, ‘Look, this is an ODM seat. We’re seeing members of UDA really going out and looking for this seat. We want to retain the seat in ODM,’” she said.
Passaris said her proposed move to Makadara had also caused discontent among residents in other parts of Nairobi.
She said residents wanted to know why she was choosing to represent one constituency instead of continuing to serve the entire county.
“My desire to serve Makadara brought me a lot of acrimony from all the people in the 16 other constituencies,” Passaris said.
She recalled an incident during a function in Kamukunji Constituency where residents questioned her decision to leave the Woman Representative seat.
“I went to Kamukunji for a function on street families, and they were like, ‘What about us? I mean, don’t we matter? Why are you going to Makadara, not here?’” she said.
Passaris said she also faced similar questions from residents in Embakasi East and Embakasi South.
She said the concerns prompted further discussions with ODM leaders, who advised her to concentrate on defending the Woman Representative seat.
“Basically, I had a discussion with my party leadership, and they said, ‘You know what, Esther? So far you’re still the best person to bring this seat home. So we want you to focus on being the Woman Representative,’” she said.
Passaris said she had accepted the party’s position and would now seek a third term as Nairobi Woman Representative.
“For me, it’s back to the Woman Rep seat, because that’s how I’m guided by my political party,” she said.
She, however, maintained that the final decision would be made by Nairobi voters at the ballot.
The decision marks another change in Passaris’ plans for the 2027 elections.
She had earlier said she would not defend the Woman Representative seat after serving two terms, arguing that it was an affirmative action position that should give another woman an opportunity.
She later changed her position after saying she had listened to Nairobi residents.
Passaris formally reaffirmed her bid for a third term on August 22, saying she would defend the seat in the 2027 General Election.
She has held the Nairobi Woman Representative position since 2017 and retained it in the 2022 election.
Passaris also linked her decision to ODM’s current political direction, saying she wanted the seat to remain within the broad-based political arrangement.
“For me, what’s important, Baba left us in broad base. Baba grew this party for 20 years. As broad-based, we want the seat to stay within broad-based,” she said.
Her decision means Passaris will now defend the Nairobi Woman Representative seat instead of challenging the incumbent Makadara MP in the 2027 election.
