Esther Muthoni Passaris // XNairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has abandoned her earlier plan to contest the Makadara parliamentary seat and announced that she will instead seek to retain her position in the 2027 general election.
Passaris made the announcement on Saturday in a post on X, signalling another shift in her political plans ahead of the next polls.
“My name is Esther Muthoni Passaris, and in 353 days, I will be defending my seat as the Nairobi County Woman Representative in the 2027 General Election,” Passaris stated.
The announcement marks a reversal of an earlier decision in which Passaris had indicated that she would not seek another term as Nairobi Woman Representative.
In November 2025, Passaris publicly announced that she would not defend the affirmative action seat in the 2027 election.
She later shifted her focus to the Makadara parliamentary seat, formally declaring her interest in the constituency in February 2026.
At the time, Passaris said she had considered her options before settling on Makadara, where she believed she could make a meaningful contribution to development.
“I have decided to vie for the Makadara seat because I believe I can make a meaningful contribution to development in that constituency,” she said.
Her decision to target Makadara came after consultations with party colleagues and consideration of other constituencies in Nairobi.
Passaris said she had initially considered both Westlands and Makadara before settling on Makadara.
She explained that the political situation in Makadara had changed after the incumbent MP, George Aladwa, indicated that he would seek the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.
“Both Westlands and Makadara presented opportunities. Aladwa had initially planned to go to Vihiga, but later reconsidered,” Passaris said.
“When I sought clarification, he told me he would instead be running for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat,” she added.
That announcement appeared to set the stage for Passaris to move from county-level representation to constituency politics in the 2027 elections.
Her latest declaration, however, puts her back in the Nairobi Woman Representative race.
Passaris has served as Nairobi’s Woman Representative since 2017, having won the seat in the 2017 general election and retained it in the 2022 polls.
The seat is reserved for women under Kenya’s constitutional affirmative action framework and is intended to enhance women’s representation in the National Assembly.
Her announcement comes against the backdrop of a growing field of aspirants who have previously expressed interest in the seat come 2027.
