Wetangula Pins Down Salasya After Being Caught Livestreaming In Parliament
Trouble began for the outspoken legislator when after the heat surrounding the debate died down, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah singled out Salasya for breaking the rules of the House by live streaming himself away from the watchful eyes of his fellow lawmakers
Marvin Chege 
Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya's act of livestreaming a heated Parliament session on Tuesday, February 11 over the Majority/Minority rule went unnoticed in the public eye...until...
Trouble began for the outspoken legislator when after the heat surrounding the debate died down, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah singled out Salasya for breaking the rules of the House by livestreaming himself away from the watchful eyes of his fellow lawmakers, cheekily giving his views on the hot debate.
According to Ichung'wah who rose on a point of order, it was uncouth for Salasya to misbehave in the August House when he and other lawmakers were being watched through live broadcasts on national television.
"Mine is on a point of order on a matter of decorum of the House because Honourable Speaker, I was just perusing what is going on, on my phone and I saw Salasya live streaming the proceedings of the House, recording himself from his seat at the back.
"The House and the Parliamentary Service Commission have given us live coverage on national TV and we cannot belittle the work of this House through such uncouth methods of live streaming what is going on in the House and saying very unpalatable things," Ichung'wah snitched on him.
Kimani Ichung'wah reports Peter Salasya to Speaker Moses Wetangula for livestreaming himself during Parliament proceedings and 'saying very unpalatable things'.#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/BwK9BoX8je — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) February 11, 2025
Pleading with Wetangula, Ichung'wah recommended that "I request that you ask him to even delete those things and apologise to the House." Then, the Speaker turned to him, demanding an explanation from him on the floor, only for Salasya to deflect blame by stating "I don't know what he is talking about because I don't run my social media platforms."
Clearly frustrated by the revelation, Wetang’ula urged Salasya to either confess to broadcasting the proceedings and accept corrective measures or deny the accusations and risk being referred to the Powers and Privileges Committee, which could enforce stricter penalties on him if found culpable.
“My dear young man, if you are not honourable, it is very easy for Parliament to ask for the logs on your phone and see what you were doing. If you say it is true, then the Speaker will take some other remedial action. If you don't, it is a matter that can find your way to the Powers and Privileges Committee, with unintended consequences,” he warned.
However, Salasya refused to confess and kept shifting goalposts. “Maybe, Speaker, I will have to confirm what he is talking about,” he responded intending to seek clarity from whoever reported him...in this case, Ichung'wah.
Speaker Wetangula was however not having any of it. “Honorable Salasya, you know dishonesty is not a virtue,” Wetang’ula scolded.
At that moment, Salasya stood firm on his position, asserting that he had no knowledge of the accusations against him. He argued that the attention from fellow MPs was simply due to his efforts to secure an opportunity to participate in the discussion.
“Speaker, I don’t know what he is saying, maybe I go and confirm what he is talking about but I had also just raised my hand so that I can speak what I feel I should speak...” he argued before Wetangula cut him short, and lectured him.
His response, however, appeared to further irritate the Speaker. Wetang’ula swiftly dismissed him, ordering him to sit down and emphasizing that no excuses would be tolerated, particularly since the day's debate centred on the crucial issue of parliamentary independence.
Wetang’ula then disclosed that it was Ichung'wah who had reported Salasya, emphasizing that the issue was not only his live streaming of the session but also the inappropriate remarks he made during the broadcast.
Committed to resolving the matter, the Speaker announced that since Salasya refused to confess, he would direct the parliamentary clerk to seize his phone, extract the evidence, and initiate disciplinary measures.
“The issue is, were you streaming the proceedings live and making comments along the way? Comments that your colleagues are saying are unpalatable? That is the issue that has been raised by the Member for Kikuyu.
"What I will do is I'll instruct the clerk to get the logs on your phone, and if I find that what is being alleged is correct, I will invite a member to file complaints and refer you to the Powers and Privileges Committee for appropriate action, you can also be named,” he ruled.
Viral Tea has since seen the clip in question, which showed Salasya joking about the matter while Ichung'wah was addressing the majority-minority debate, jeering him while boasting 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 hatutaki 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.
Loosely translated to "Things are thick here and we don't want jokes. I'm seated in my corner, my work is to make sounds, and not even the Speaker can see me. I'm seated at the corner and my work is to make noise."
The heated debate stemmed from a High Court ruling that the Kenya Kwanza coalition led by President William Ruto is not the majority party in the National Assembly. A three-judge bench on Friday, February 7 found that Speaker Wetang’ula violated the Constitution in making the determination on October 6, 2022, thought to have sparked controversy, a move that handed Azimio la Umoja the upper hand in the battle.
The Azimio camp on Tuesday tried to stamp its authority in the National Assembly over Kenya Kwanza, though Wetangula clarified that while the court had overturned his earlier ruling on the matter, it did not assign majority status to any coalition.
The Speaker is set to rule on the matter in the course of this week. According to the Registrar of Political Parties, the Azimio coalition has 171 members compared to Kenya Kwanza's 165, although disputes regarding 14 members’ coalition affiliation were emphasized.
