Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has put the pre-publication of her controversial protest bill on the back burner ahead of the Saba Saba Day protests.
In a statement released on Monday morning, Passaris said that her decision to delay the pre-publication of the Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2025 was the result of self-reflection prompted by the National Council of Churches of Kenya's (NCCK) statement on Sunday.
However, she promised that she would be inviting more public input on the bill, which seeks to prohibit protests within a 100m radius of state establishments, to allow for national dialogue before bringing it back.
"As Kenya commemorates Saba Saba, a day rooted in our struggle for democracy and justice, I wish to respond to the call by the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) and other voices of conscience," she stated.
"I have decided to pause the pre-publication process of the Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2025 to allow for national dialogue and wide public engagement. This is an invitation to co-create legislation that safeguards constitutional freedoms while ensuring public order."
Although she decided on advice from the church, she also challenged the institution to raise the moral bar of public discourse.
She urged the NCCK to teach and encourage a culture of peaceful protests, lawful engagement, and respectful disagreement values "rooted in faith and democracy alike".
She further urged the larger public to practice accountability even as Kenyans marked the Saba Saba day, calling for all sides, including the state officers, to move forward, not in anger but in shared accountability.
On July 1, the woman representative proposed a bill that sought to bar public gatherings near state establishments like the Parliament Buildings, courtrooms or the State House.
"A person who contravenes the provisions of this section commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both," the bill reads in part.
On Sunday, NCCK urged security forces to uphold the rights of protestors ahead of the planned commemoration of the July 7, 1990, rally that sparked Kenya's journey to a multiparty democracy.
It denounced the continued efforts by police officers and other state officials to deny Kenyans their right to picket, and also the Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen's directive to shoot at protestors.
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