On Saturday, January 22, Nairobi Woman Representative and enterpreneur Esther Passaris, better known as Mama Taa, broke the news of the sudden demise of her father.
However, until his death, very little details of the Greek national who fathered Mama Taa were known by the members of the public.
The late Mr Passaris would be catapulted to public limelight by Defence Cabinet Secretary, Eugene Wamalwa, in a condolence note to the family.
It is Wamalwa who revealed that the 79-year-old naval architect built the first-ever ship in the country. The ship would be named MV Mwewe.
The Defence CS stated that Mr Passaris was instrumental in the ship building industry, adding that his innovation paved way for the government's milestones in ship-making.
"Passari's dad, was a renowned Naval Architect who build the Kenyan Ship MV Mwewe. He is the inspiration behind the building of MV Uhuru, which is currently underway, and the recent Mombasa Presidential launch of Kenya Ships Yard.
“Mzee leaves behind a once more proud shipbuilding nation," the CS stated.
In a social media on February 3, the Nairobi Woman Rep shared photos of the MV Mwewe which was built in the 1980s by her father.
"I was going through my father's old albums and stumbled upon photographs of the MV Mwewe and the Zaharoula. He built both ships from scratch in the 80s," Passaris wrote.
While breaking news of her father's demise on January 22, Passaris revealed that her dad worked at an engineering company in the country and loved football, a game he used in mentoring teens in Mombasa County.
"From building the first ship in Kenya, the MV Mwewe, to coaching and mentoring the young men of Ngome Football Club in Mombasa," she added.
"Dad worked for Southern Engineering Company (SECO) Limited, COMARCO, before incorporating HELMACO, which he led until retirement."
SECO was established in 1957 as a company that specialises in marine engineering including building, repairs and maintenance of ships.
"Since 1957, SECO has been a solid and reliable partner. When we build ships, we have the ship’s life cycle and the industry’s future in mind. Our project managers have years of experience solving and delivering complex projects," reads a statement on the company's official website.
