NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 13 – A glance at Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris one would not in their wildest dream imagine the thought of her being depressed and bogged down by life.
Majority ‘mistakenly’ described her as a happy-go-lucky sort of a person who is living her dream.
Contrary to the wrong assertions, the first-term lawmaker disclosed on Wednesday to Capital FM News that she has endured extreme pain in her life and that she is not made of sterner stuff.
Passaris attributed her pain to the loss of her father, her mother going through cancer, her husband having medical challenges, developing spinal issues that hindered her immobility and the 2017 post election violence.
It is however, the aftermath of the 2017 General Election which saw the country witness pockets of violence that constantly continues to present a fresh wound to Passaris who disclosed that the ordeal was the genesis of her depression journey.
A slight reminisce on what transpired, Passaris says it makes her blood run cold especially after seeing and burying bodies of 97 Kenyans who were causalities of the disputed election.
“I saw all those dead bodies and then I could not cry even until today I cannot cry because I have seen so much pain and suffering that it has shut me down,” Passaris revealed during an interview with Capital News.
Even though Passaris admits that “I am going through a healing process to get rid the layers of pain” the sadness in her face while narrating the ordeal was testament that she is still a bundle of nerves to date on the subject.
“I sit somewhere and I think I want to cry and I cannot. And so the only thing that helps me cry is stillness,”
“In meditation you find God and you find peace,” Passaris said.
It is the untold sufferings that she endured Passaries divulged that made her opt to ditch her initial plans of running for Governor and instead vie for the Woman Representative seat which she won on an ODM ticket.
“I looked at my whole family structure and I thought to myself do I really want to run for the Governor position and I came to the conclusion that I could not give it 100 percent,” she said.
Passaris is seeking to defend her seat in the August polls under the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya ticket.
She will be contesting for the seat alongside six other candidates who are keen on unseating her.
While she has urged her supporters to endorse her candidature for a second term, the 58 year-old politician has set her sights to becoming Governor 2027.
“I hope and God willing if I do not see drastic changes over the next five years to literally go for the Governors seat because I feel it will be 20 years since I tried to become the Mayor of Nairobi,” she said.
Passaris has in the meantime implored upon Kenyans to be decisive and vote in the Azimio La Umoja government in the August posts slated for next month.
“We need the Baba presidency because everything good in this country we can tie it back to him. Listen to Baba and Martha when they talk and let us make a decisive decision,” she said.
