‘I Will Join the Race’: Passaris Issues Warning to Sakaja Over Nairobi

Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has issued a direct warning to Governor Johnson Sakaja, putting him on notice while signaling her potential entry into the 2027 Nairobi gubernatorial contest as political pressure mounts across the capital.

Speaking on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, during a high-level women’s retreat in Nairobi, Passaris urged Sakaja to elevate his administration’s performance. She stated that she would enter the gubernatorial race if she becomes convinced that the broad-based political formation risks losing the county’s top seat to the opposition.

“I want to put Sakaja on notice. Governor Sakaja, notice. If you do not style up and shape up and we see that we’re going to lose that seat, then Mimi Nitaingia, the race ya governor wa Nairobi,” Passaris said.

Insisting that city residents require concrete governance outcomes rather than rhetoric, she added:

“I am actually saying that Nairobi needs to work, not just in words but in action.”

Female Representation Deficit in Nairobi Leadership

Passaris linked part of Nairobi’s current governance challenges to what she described as a persistent deficit in women’s elective leadership.

To highlight her concerns regarding gender equity in county governance, Passaris cited specific electoral statistics:

In the County Assembly, the number of elected women Members of County Assembly (MCAs) in Nairobi declined from five in 2017 to four in 2022.

In the National Assembly, only one woman was elected to represent Nairobi’s 17 parliamentary constituencies in both the 2017 and 2022 General Elections, namely Mercy Gakuya for Embakasi Central in 2017 and Beatrice Elachi for Dagoretti North in 2022.

Across top executive and county positions, women remain absent from key seats including the governorship, deputy governorship, and Senate.

“When you look at Nairobi and the failures that we have in Nairobi, it is because we don’t have women representation,” Passaris noted.

Shifting Political Ambitions Ahead of 2027

Passaris’s warning to Sakaja marks the latest twist in her evolving strategy for the upcoming 2027 General Election.

The second-term lawmaker initially indicated she would not seek re-election as Woman Representative, eyeing the Makadara parliamentary seat and endorsing nominated Senator Karen Nyamu as a potential successor. She later dropped the Makadara bid to focus on retaining her current seat before her latest remarks introduced the possibility of a run for City Hall.

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