Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has described Senator Edwin Sifuna’s rally in Nairobi as “beautiful entertainment for a Sunday”, saying the large crowd was drawn by music and dancing rather than political issues.
Passaris said the organisers used music to energise the crowd while attempting to project the spirit of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Speaking on Wednesday during an interview on TV 47, Passaris questioned whether the turnout at the rally represented support for Sifuna and the issues he raised.
“You wait until the president comes to Nairobi and we have our movements around Nairobi; you will see the same crowd, if not more. I don’t understand, you know, you’ve got the young people, and you’re whipping them with music. You know, when you have music, and you have dance, it’s a Sunday, you’re going to get entertained,” Passaris said.
She questioned the issues raised by Sifuna while addressing the gathering.
Passaris cited Sifuna’s claim that he had secured Sh2 billion for Nairobi while serving in the Senate, contrasting it with what she said was Sh80 billion given to the city by President William Ruto.
“William Ruto has given 80 billion to Nairobi. What is two billion, to be able to fix and change Nairobi, so we can host events like the World Athletics?” she said.
“I want him to know we’re building institutional houses for the police; we’re building hostels for the same people that are running around in your discos and talking and dancing, all right, it was a disco, and it was a beautiful Sunday disco.”
Passaris said such investments represented what she termed deliverable and issue-based politics.
She also addressed Sifuna’s remarks on housing, saying he had previously claimed that no houses were being built but had now acknowledged the construction of institutional houses for police officers and hostels.
Passaris questioned the size of the crowd at the rally in relation to Nairobi’s voter population, which she said could reach about three million.
She estimated that even if 100,000 people had attended the event, stretching from the streets to Jacaranda, the number would still not represent five per cent of Nairobi’s voters.
Passaris also questioned whether ODM leaders could independently mobilise such a crowd in Nairobi.
She said the mobilisation was instead linked to the broad-based government led by President William Ruto, while noting that Nairobi remains an ODM stronghold.
Passaris further criticised the opposition groupings associated with the rally, saying they lacked a clear agenda.
“I don’t even know if you’re the United Opposition or Disunited Opposition or Linda Mwananchi or whatever it is; they have no agenda,” she said.
