Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has sparked a new media storm after urging Kenyans to boycott two major media houses — Nation Media Group and Standard Group — accusing them of biased reporting and deliberate misrepresentation of her position on ongoing political protests.
Speaking on Tuesday, Passaris lashed out at what she termed “gutter press” coverage of her newly proposed bill on demonstrations, which some critics have framed as an attempt to sabotage public dissent and favor the current administration.
“Boycott media. Nation and Standard are gutter presses. Stop buying their newspapers that have no positive stories about the government,” she stated.
“They will never write about development projects. My proposed bill on demonstrations was crafted last year in 2024, and even President Ruto just saw it online; he didn’t ask me to propose it. Local media want Kenyans to continue fighting.”
Passaris’s remarks come in response to a controversial editorial cartoon published by The Standard, which depicted her as a “Gun for Hire” — a direct jab suggesting that she may be used by the state to undermine the Gen Z-led protest movement.
The cartoon, alongside news stories linking her to being a “government project,” triggered widespread backlash on social media, prompting the Nairobi lawmaker to defend her legislative intentions.
“I am being vilified for proposing a bill that was already in the works long before the current protests erupted,” she said.
The proposed bill, which aims to regulate public demonstrations, has drawn criticism from civil society groups and protest organizers, many of whom see it as an attempt to clamp down on freedom of expression.
However, Passaris insists that the bill was drafted in good faith and is designed to enhance public safety — not to suppress dissent.
“I support the right to protest,” she said, “but we must also ensure that demonstrations do not endanger lives or property.”
Passaris’s call for a boycott raises serious questions about media freedom, journalistic objectivity, and the responsibility of elected leaders to engage constructively with critical coverage.
