Peter Salasya, Wetangula Clash Over Breach of Parliamentary Procedure

Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Kalerwa Salasya has found himself in hot water after deciding to livestream Tuesday, February 11, 2025’s heated parliamentary debate on which coalition holds the majority in the House.

Trouble erupted for the outspoken legislator when some of his colleagues in the chamber noticed his TikTok livestream and promptly alerted Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who wasted no time in demanding an explanation from him on the floor.

Visibly irritated by the revelation, Wetang’ula challenged Salasya to either admit to broadcasting the proceedings and face remedial action or deny the allegations and risk being handed over to the Powers and Privileges Committee, which could impose harsher consequences.

“My dear young man, if you are not honorable, Parliament can easily place locks on your phone and verify exactly what you were doing. If you acknowledge the act, the Speaker will take remedial measures. But if you deny it, this matter could land you before the Powers and Privileges Committee, where unintended consequences await,” he warned.

However, Salasya refused to admit outright, instead suggesting that he first needed to confirm from his colleague—the one who reported him—what exactly was being alleged.

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“Maybe, Speaker, I will have to confirm what he is talking about,” he responded.

This prompted the Speaker to press him further, urging him to come clean while reminding him that dishonesty is not a virtue.

“Honorable Salasya, you know dishonesty is not a virtue,” Wetang’ula scolded.

At that point, Salasya doubled down on his stance, insisting he was unaware of what he was being accused of and claiming that the attention he had drawn from other MPs was merely because he was trying to get a chance to contribute to the discussion.

“Speaker, I don’t know what he is talking about unless I go and confirm. But I had also just raised my hand because I wanted to speak my mind,” he argued.

His explanation, however, only seemed to aggravate the Speaker further. Wetang’ula dismissed him outright, instructing him to sit down while making it clear that there was no room for excuses, especially given that the day’s debate revolved around the independence of Parliament—a matter of utmost significance.

Making unpalatable comments

Wetang’ula then revealed that it was the Member of Parliament for Kikuyu Constituency who had reported Salasya, adding that the real concern was not just that he had been streaming the session live, but that he had also been making unsavory remarks during the broadcast.

Determined to get to the bottom of the matter, the Speaker declared that since Salasya refused to admit to the allegations, he would instruct the parliamentary clerk to confiscate his phone, retrieve the evidence, and take appropriate disciplinary action.

“The issue is, were you streaming live while making remarks along the way? Remarks that your colleagues are deeming unpalatable? That is the concern raised by the Member for Kikuyu. What I will do is instruct the clerk to place locks on your phone, and if the allegations are proven correct, I will invite members to file complaints and escalate the matter to the Powers and Privileges Committee, where further action can be taken,” he ruled.

Caught on Camera

A background check by this writer, however, confirmed that the MP had, in fact, shared a video of himself seated at the back of the chamber, gleefully offering his thoughts on the debate while laughing about how chaotic things had become.

In the clip, he even boasted about strategically positioning himself in a corner where he believed the Speaker would struggle to spot him, joking that his sole mission there was to make noise.

“Hapa mambo imechemka na sitaki mchezo. Nimekaa kwa corner, kazi yangu ni kutoa sauti hapa, hata hakuna speaker anaweza ona. Nimekaa hapa kwa corner, kazi yangu ni kupiga kelele,” he is heard saying.

Watch the video, which he has since deleted following the speaker’s order here:

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