Nairobi Residents File Petition Seeking to Remove Esther Passaris from Office
- Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris might be the first Member of Parliament to be successfully recalled if the petition filed against her sails through
- The Nairobi youth, including Shakira Wafula, gave a list of seven accusations against the county legislator
- She further expressed her confidence that they would be able to get the required signatures to have Passaris removed from office
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Faith Chandianya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and Current Affairs in Kenya
Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris' political career seems to be facing significant trouble following a petition filed by Nairobi residents.
Source: Facebook
The push for Passaris' ouster marks the beginning of what has the potential of being the first ever successful recall of a currently sitting Member of Parliament.
The petition was filed by Nairobi residents, including Shakira Wafula, Sichei Soet, Dominic Omondi and Mavin Mabonga.
The four filed the petition with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Monday, July 28.
Why are Nairobi residents seeking Passaris' removal?
They expressed their disappointment with the woman representative as they gave eight reasons why the legislator should be removed from office.
The Nairobi youth accused Passaris of what they termed as violation of constitutional rights and neglecting her duties as the Nairobi county woman representative.
They also accused Passaris of undermining public participation and peaceful protests.
Being in support of government executive outreach
Her alleged failure to disclose the utilisation of the National Government Affirmative Action Funds (NGAAF).
Failure to speak on behalf of women in cases of police brutality, misinforming the public and breaching the leadership and integrity chapter of the constitution.
Petitioners express confidence in Passaris' removal
Shakira, who is among the petitioners, expressed her certainty in having Passaris successfully removed from office.
"I am very confident that once we start collecting signatures, it's possible to collect more than one million signatures. We are watching. We are vigilant, and we are not the type of people to sit back anymore and see things go in a manner that we do not like and keep quiet. We have our voice," Shakira said.
"This is not just about Esther Passaris. This is a wake-up call for the Kenyan citizen to realise the power they have in their hands because they are the ones putting the leaders in those positions. If they feel confident that the leaders whom they elected are not representing their interests, then the best thing to do before an election is to do a recall," Mavin said.
The petition seeking to remove Passaris has been filed at the right time according to the constitution.
The law states that an MP can only be recalled after two years of public service and not within the last year of her term.
Did Esther Passaris table anti-protests bill?
Passaris' latest predicament comes days after she tabled an anti-protest bill at the National Assembly.
Source: Getty Images
The bill was supposed to make protests outside parliament or buildings housing courtrooms illegal.
There were strict consequences in the bill for those who violate the bill once it gets passed as law, which include conviction or payment of a fine not exceeding KSh 100,000.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
