This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On July 11, 2019, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris found herself at the center of a social media storm after expressing her frustration with the expectations placed upon her and other leaders.
Passaris took to Twitter to address the issue of MPs' allowances, stating that she and her colleagues were not expected to settle personal expenses for their constituents.
'We represent citizens who look to leaders for their personal expenses from rent, medical, funerals, school fees, food, etc. Leaders in other countries are not expected to settle constituents personal bills. When we move from dependency to independency (sp) we can reduce our wages,' she tweeted.
However, her comments did not go down well with some of her followers, who accused her of being out of touch with the needs of her constituents.
'Esther, we elected you to fix those things you’re talking about. It’s been nearly 2 years, what institutional changes have you proposed so far?' asked one Twitter user.
Passaris responded by saying that she could not fix everything and that her constituents needed to take responsibility for their own issues.
'What would I expect from a two year old? If you expected me to fix it all because you elected me, you expected far too much amid all the 'confusion'. I can't fix what you yourself don't aspire to fix. Next time you vote. Think twice. Think issues,' she tweeted.
