Esther Passaris, the Nairobi Woman Representative, is now at the center of controversy after proposing the Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
This bill has sparked anger among many Kenyans who see it as an attempt to silence the people instead of protecting them. While presenting the bill before the National Assembly security committee, Passaris claimed that it would bring order to protests and prevent the loss of lives.
However, many see through the disguise and believe it’s just another attempt by political leaders to shield themselves from public pressure and avoid accountability.
The bill seeks to ban protests within 100 meters of crucial government institutions like Parliament and the courts. It also introduces controlled protest zones that must be gazetted in consultation with county governments.
This means that citizens will now be told where and when they can protest, turning a right that is guaranteed in the Constitution into a privilege that must be approved by the state. For a leader who comes from a party like ODM, which has heavily relied on street protests in its political journey, this shift is not only hypocritical but a betrayal to those who believed she stood with the people.
Passaris says the bill is about protecting lives and preventing goons from hijacking protests. But the same government she serves has been accused of using excessive force, abducting protesters, and using live bullets on unarmed youth.
Instead of addressing these root causes of violence, Passaris wants to shift the blame to the protesters themselves. Her argument that 97 people died in 2017, therefore laws must be passed, fails to acknowledge who was responsible for those deaths state agents, not protesters.
The real danger is that this bill, if passed, will normalize the restriction of peaceful assembly. It gives the government more control to decide where citizens can express themselves and how. It may start with Parliament and courts, but soon it could be extended to markets, universities, and social halls.
The justification of safety is a common excuse used by authoritarian regimes, and this bill sets a dangerous precedent.
Esther Passaris has shown that she is no longer aligned with the people she claims to represent. By pushing for this bill, she is siding with those in power rather than the youth who are out in the streets demanding a better future.
She is turning her back on the same tools of resistance that gave ODM and many leaders a voice during difficult times. It is a betrayal dressed in legal language. Kenyans must remain alert and reject attempts like this one that aim to water down their rights.
The freedom to assemble and protest is not a favor granted by the government it is a right.
