IN SHORT: The Nairobi county woman representative may not have toed the party line by voting for a controversial Finance Bill. But the quote attributed to her lashing out at her party leader is fake.
"Wewe Raila wacha kuniletea kisirani. I was elected to represent the people of Nairobi City not Odinga family. Vitisho utapeleka kwako usinipee pressure. Wacha kunipigia simu. I'm not your girlfriend,” reads a post on Facebook quoting Esther Passaris in a mix of English and Kiswahili.
This translates to: “Raila, stop making me angry. I was elected to represent the people of Nairobi City, not the Odinga family. Stop your threats and don’t pressure me. Stop calling me. I’m not your girlfriend.”
Passaris is the woman representative of the national assembly of Nairobi, and a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which is part of Kenya’s Azimio la Umoja coalition. Raila Odinga is the ODM party leader.
Passaris said on 17 June 2023 that she had voted for the proposed Finance Bill, despite the Azimio coalition rejecting it and directing its members to vote against it in parliament. However, Passaris insists that she is still a member of the ODM and Azimio coalition.
The quote has been posted here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
But did Passaris say “she was elected to represent the people of Nairobi city and not the Odinga family”? We checked.
‘Treat this fake news with the contempt it deserves’
On 20 June 2023, Passaris posted an image with the quote on her Twitter account.
“Treat this fake news with the contempt it deserves. I have nothing but respect for my Party Leader, the Rt. Hon Raila Odinga,” she said.
The quote circulating on social media is fake and should be ignored.
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