"He Gave Me My First Phone," Esther Passaris Speaks on Her Special Relationship with Moi
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has for the first time opened up about her relationship with the late former president Daniel Arap Moi.
Speaking after she viewed the body of Moi at Parliament buildings on Saturday morning, Passaris disclosed that she had a close and personal relationship with the deceased. Passaris said she received her first mobile phone from Kenya’s second president, describing him as a pleasant man.
Passaris said she met Moi in 1997 and he awarded her a tender to supply campaign t-shirts and then directed one of his aides to give her a mobile phone to facilitate communication.
“I got my first mobile phone from him in 1997. In 1997 I was running a promotional company doing t-shirts and I got a tender to supply campaign t-shirts for the elections… It was a Motorola… really big. It looked like a walkie talkie and he said to Lukorio who worked at State House give her a mobile phone,” said Passaris.
She further revealed that it was Moi who personally intervened after half of her money was delayed after supplying the t-shirts. She said the amount, which she says was between Sh4 to Sh5 million, was released immediately.
She also noted that Moi personally called her to express his condolence after she lost her pregnancy. “I also lost my pregnancy at that time. He called me personally and said sorry. They had also held my money they didn’t pay me and he got to hear about it and he called me and got hold of Joshua Kulei and told him to pay her,” said Passaris adding that Moi personally invited her to his inauguration after winning the 1997 election.
“He invited me to his inauguration and he asked me who I want to bring and I said my mother and he said fine to give her an invitation. He was a quite hands-on, very pleasant person.”
“I feel sad that I never got to see him in recent years but I kept in touch with Gideon to always find out how he was doing. He was always in my prayers,” said Passaris.