Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to probe allegations of cyber harassment against her by a section of Kenyans.
This is after a post was shared on social media platforms purporting that she was among the leaders who praised the Tanzanian electoral commission for allegedly holding credible elections.
The post, which went viral for a better part of Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, attributed a fake quote to Passaris, depicting the lawmaker claiming that she had never seen a more credible election than the Tanzanian polls.
It further purported that the lawmaker allegedly challenged President William Ruto to emulate his Tanzanian counterpart, Samia Suluhu.
Passaris, who was among the African Union election observers in Tanzania on Thursday afternoon, dismissed claims of praising Tanzania's electoral process, terming the allegations as fake.
According to her, some social media users were using her name and image to mislead the members of the public and distort her role as an African Union observer.
While describing the fake online quote as cyber harassment, she urged the DCI, CA and the Judiciary to take decisive action against the fake news peddlers.
"Fake posters and fabricated statements using my name and image have been circulating online to mislead the public and distort my role as an AU observer," Passaris lamented.
"To the Communications Authority, the DCI and the Kenyan Judiciary, this is the moment to test our cyber laws. Impersonation and digital fraud must have consequences," she added.
This comes weeks after the AU appointed her as one of its election observers in Tanzania in the polls that took place on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
While acknowledging her role as an observer, the MP expressed her honour at joining the mission, underscoring the importance of witnessing a credible and transparent electoral process in the East African region.
In a statement on October 29, Passaris also wished Tanzanians a peaceful and transparent election, calling for a process that respects voters’ voices and strengthens regional unity.
