Mumias East Member of Parliament, Hon. Peter Kalerwa Salasya, has been charged with hate speech over ethnic incitement over a post he made on his X account.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) charged the legislator under the National Cohesion and Integration Act for publishing statements deemed likely to incite ethnic hatred. The controversial remarks were posted on May 10, 2025, through his X account, @pksalasya, following an altercation at Nyayo Stadium during a World Cup qualifier between Kenya and Gabon.
Among the tweets cited in the case include, “The Luo men attacking me are attacking the Luhya nation and the whole country. We shall revisit. ODM will remain a Luo party with their conman (Raila Odinga).”
“Wajaluo wanataka kuniua (Luos want to kill me). I didn’t want to commit blood in my hands. Next time nitaangusha mmoja (I’ll kill one of them), God forbid.”
In another post, Salasyaalso insinuated that circumcision was necessary to “remove stupidity,” a statement widely condemned as targeting the Luo community.
Prosecuting counsel, Ms. Stellah Oyagi, informed the court that the tweets were in clear violation of Section 13 of the National Cohesion and Integration Act, which prohibits hate speech and ethnic incitement.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Peter Mutai, Hon. Salasya pleaded not guilty. He was released on a surety bond of Ksh. 400,000 or a cash bail of Ksh. 200,000. The case is scheduled for mention on June 4, 2025, for further directions.