Salasya: Political parties must stop interference with parliament affairs
By Emmanuel Rono, April 1, 2026Mumias East Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Salasya has warned against political parties getting too involved in the affairs of the National Assembly, claiming that party interference is hurting the independence of lawmakers and the effectiveness of Parliament.
Speaking during an interview with a local station on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Salasya said the political parties need to stop getting involved in the national assembly’s business, adding that they are the ones who put members on the committees.
“The problem of the failure of the parliament starts with the political parties, and the political parties must stop interfering with the national assembly affairs because the political parties are the ones that put members into the committees,” Salasya said.
Punishment against party lines
Salasya pointed out that more MPs are being punished for going against party lines, using his own experience as a main example.
According to Salasya, his votes against important bills, including the Finance Bill and the impeachment of former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, led to direct professional punishment in the house.
He explained that his removal from the Agriculture Committee hindered his ability to represent his constituents on vital issues like sugarcane farming.
“I was punished and removed from key committees, like for example the agriculture… and thrown to the catering things, and it’s because of the ODM party, the moment they went to the broad-based,” Salasya stated.
The lawmaker further expressed concern over the current political landscape following the formation of a broad-based government between ODM and UDA, which he claims has effectively neutralised the opposition.
“There’s no opposition. There is a lot of confusion. You have to stand to speak the minds of what the broad-based government wants,” he said.
Independence of the National Assembly.
Taking to his official X account on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, Salasya raised an alarm in the interference of legislators’ duties, calling for an amendment of the political act and standing orders of the independence of the National Assembly.
“Today I was privileged to present my concern of independence of the parliament in Naivasha retreat before the committee of the whole house and the office of the registrar of political parties on how we can amend the Political Act and standing orders of the independence of the house,” Salasya said.
He blamed political parties for actively being involved in the National Assembly affairs, like whipping members against their will and choosing committees for members.
“And because of this, I will start the process of amending the political act to stop political parties from having a hand in the affairs of the party, like whipping members against their will and choosing committees for members. This weakens the parliament’s independence,” Salasaya added.