Passaris Candidly Lifts Lid on Rot in Parliament

Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris candidly lifted the lid on the struggles that she and other female legislators undergo in Parliament.

On a column for The Standard newspaper on Wednesday, December 11, the Nairobi lawmaker revealed that it was indeed no walk in the park for women MPs, owing to the behaviour of their male colleague. 

Passaris lamented that the female legislators are looked upon as second class leaders and treated as such by other male leaders yet they occupy the same positions.

Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris addressing an even on June 28, 2017.

"First of all, it camouflages as concerns about competency and ability. It then evolves to questioning your marital status, and finally, it reveals itself as nothing but open disdain for an empowered woman able to lead an industry, an organization or a home," she wrote.

Passaris intimated that the assault of the Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi by her Wajir East counterpart Rashid Kassim in Parliament on June 13, 2019, was an example of the issues she was addressing in her article.

Witnesses of the scuffle stated that Kassim accused Gedi, who sits in the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, of failing to allocate money to his constituency, after which a brief argument ensued resulting in Kassim allegedly punching Gedi.

"The fear, and I dare say, the hatred for women in senior leadership positions by the Kenyan men is a residue of deep patriarchal biases that continue to hurt women and men alike," Passaris stated.



She also opened up on the threat by Kimili MP Didimus Barasa to punch her and Homa Bay counterpart Gladys Wanga, after they interrupted his contribution to a motion in the National Assembly on November 21, 2019.

"In both cases, the outrage was swift and immediate. TV panelists chimed in and Twitter activists condemned the act in the strongest terms possible," she narrated.

Passaris expressed her regret that such situations did not seem to be coming to an end, not only in the distinguished house but also in the world.

Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris and Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa were engaged in a heated exchange in Parliament on Thursday, November 21, 2019, before he threatened to punch her.

"As an active social media user, I have had innumerable run-ins mostly with male commenters ready to 'put me in my place', wherever that may be," she regretted.