NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 22 — Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has declared she will not defend her seat in the 2027 General Election, saying it is time for another woman to take up the affirmative action position.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Passaris said that, God willing, she will have completed two full terms by 2027 and will bow out of the Nairobi Woman Rep race. She also dismissed a series of edited campaign posters circulating online, terming them misleading.
“By 2027, God willing, I will have completed two full terms as Nairobi Woman Rep. This is an affirmative action seat, and I believe it is time for another woman to lead,” she wrote, adding that she has not endorsed any candidate to succeed her and would not be drawn into “political games, misinterpretations, or manipulated graphics.”
In Kenya, the position of Woman Representative is a fixed five-year term, aligned to the General Election cycle for all Members of Parliament. There are no mandatory term limits, meaning an individual can seek re-election multiple times. The position was created by the 2010 Constitution as an affirmative action measure to boost women’s representation in the National Assembly, in line with the two-thirds gender rule that requires no more than two-thirds of members in public bodies to be of the same gender.
Passaris, a senior ODM politician in Nairobi, said she would respect the party’s decision on the seat when the time comes but made clear her personal choice for the presidency in 2027, publicly endorsing President William Ruto.
“As for the presidency in 2027, my personal endorsement is for President William Ruto because I believe in his leadership, his focus, his hard work and his transformational agenda for Kenya and for the African continent,” she said.
She added that her focus remains on service delivery and supporting what she described as Kenya’s shift “from politics to prosperity.”
