Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has dismissed claims that President William Ruto influenced her proposed Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks to restrict public demonstrations within 100 metres of key government buildings.
Speaking in Nakuru on Thursday during a National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) meeting, Passaris emphasized that the bill was motivated solely by concerns over public safety and national security not politics.
“I have seen people on social media saying I’m a gun for hire, that it’s Ruto who has given me the authority to table the bill,” she said. “That’s not true.”
The proposed bill, currently under public scrutiny, would ban protests near sensitive institutions such as Parliament, State House, and courts. Passaris defended the bill’s intent, asserting that it aims to safeguard lives and protect public property, not to suppress dissent or violate constitutional rights.
She pointed to the events of June 25, 2024, when Gen Z protesters stormed Parliament in opposition to the now-withdrawn Finance Bill, 2024. The protest turned chaotic, with demonstrators breaching barricades, damaging property, and clashing violently with police—a confrontation that left several people dead.
“I started working on that bill on October 18, 2024, after Gen Z entered Parliament and vandalised things,” Passaris noted. “Lives were put in danger, and others died. We must draw a line between peaceful protest and violent incitement.”
While the bill has received support from government-allied legislators, critics warn that it may infringe on Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and protest.
Passaris also addressed the upcoming Saba Saba protests scheduled for July 7, urging demonstrators to uphold peace. “If you want to have demonstrations, let them be peaceful. Don’t go attacking people’s businesses,” she pleaded.
Meanwhile, the National Police Service stated that it had not received formal notification about the planned protests, raising concerns about coordination and public safety.
As the debate around the bill intensifies, it continues to divide public opinion, with some viewing it as a necessary reform, while others see it as a threat to democratic freedoms
