Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has raised alarm over what she terms as cyber harassment, following the circulation of fake social media posts claiming she praised Tanzania’s recent elections.
The posts, which went viral across various platforms on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, falsely attributed a quote to Passaris, alleging that she had called Tanzania’s polls “the most credible election” she had ever witnessed. The fabricated message also purported that Passaris had urged President William Ruto to emulate his Tanzanian counterpart, Samia Suluhu.
Passaris, who is currently in Tanzania as part of the African Union (AU) Election Observer Mission, strongly dismissed the claims. In a statement on Thursday afternoon, she clarified that she had not issued any remarks about the credibility of the Tanzanian elections and condemned the misuse of her name and image to mislead the public.
“Fake posters and fabricated statements using my name and image have been circulating online to mislead the public and distort my role as an AU observer,” she stated.
Describing the incident as cyber harassment, the MP called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Communications Authority (CA), and the Judiciary to enforce existing cyber laws and hold perpetrators accountable.
“To the Communications Authority, the DCI, and the Kenyan Judiciary, this is the moment to test our cyber laws. Impersonation and digital fraud must have consequences,” she added.
Passaris was among several African Union-appointed election observers in the October 29, 2025 Tanzanian polls. In a prior statement, she expressed her honour in joining the mission and wished Tanzanians a peaceful and transparent election, emphasizing the importance of credible processes that strengthen democracy in the East African region.
