Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has spoken out after being denied an opportunity to contribute on the floor of the National Assembly by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.

The incident occurred during a sitting on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, where MPs were debating Raila Odinga’s recent call for the scrapping of the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The Speaker ruled Salasya out, noting that preference was being given to legislators who regularly attend parliamentary sessions.

Following the session, Salasya issued a statement expressing his disappointment. He said Members of Parliament were united on key issues and ready to push back against what he described as misplaced priorities. He lauded MPs for showing solidarity in defending their role in managing national resources, though he accused the House leadership of failing in its responsibility to represent the will of the people.

Salasya maintained that the current Parliament was proving its strength and independence, adding that the attempts to sideline certain members would not weaken their resolve.

 His remarks come amid increasing friction between legislators and Raila Odinga, with him now calling for the stripping of NG-CDF from parliamentarians.

“This time no MP is being bought. We are speaking as one person. WETA amecheza na time, but we were ready to bring it down, hiyo privatisation nonsense of KPC. Siku ya nyani miti zote huteleza. I’m proud of members of parliament for the first time, apart from the bogus leadership of the house leadership by the speaker. We are bringing sanity into the house,” Salasya stated.

Wetang’ula’s verdict

Wetang’ula had earlier explained that priority in such debates is given to legislators who are consistently present in the chamber. He stressed that MPs who rarely miss sittings are the ones more likely to be recognised to contribute on key motions, thus denying Salasya a chance.

“To members like Salasya, when we have a motion like this, the speaker gives priority to members who are regularly here. If you are not regular in the house, you are unlikely to get the favour of the speaker. To speak simply, this is topical,” Wetang’ula stated.

“There are members who have been here for a long time, waiting to speak; sometimes they don’t get the opportunity to speak. Those are my priorities,” he added.