Salasya dares Gachagua to show schools he developed while serving as MP
By Joel Masibo, January 12, 2026Mumias East Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Salasya has fired back at the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after attacking leaders from the North Eastern part of Kenya for failing to develop schools in the region.
Recently, Gachagua has been on the neck of Northern Kenya leaders, accusing them of squandering vast devolved resources without building lasting public institutions.
At a Nyeri press briefing on Friday, January 9, 2026, Gachagua dismissed calls for affirmative action, saying a decade of devolution weakens claims that some counties still deserve preferential treatment in elite school admissions.
Underdeveloped Northern Kenya
Gachagua noted that during his tenure as deputy president, he observed limited development in Northern Kenya despite sustained transfers of public funds such as the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
“I travelled as deputy president to those areas, and I did not see new institutions corresponding to the level of funding received. They have the opportunity to develop institutions of the highest standards possible in Kenya, not just for the children of those areas, but for the children of Kenya,” he claimed.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader has also been calling for equity in Grade 10 placement nationwide, accusing the state of treating Mt Kenya children unfairly in the particular exercise, while favouring others from other regions by admitting them in prestigious schools found in Central Kenya.
Salasya dares Gachagua
Based on this argument, Salasya has defended the North Eastern leaders on the school development agenda. Salasya argued that the failure of North Eastern Kenya, particularly the Somali community, to produce national leaders such as the president and deputy president, is the reason the region has lagged in development.
He has further dared Gachagua to show the schools he developed while serving as Mathira MP.
”Tell us, how many schools did you develop to the national level when you were a Mathira Member of Parliament? I know there is no single one. The Somali community has never produced a president, even a deputy president,” Salasya said.
The vocal MP further argued that the developed areas in the country reflect the amount of resources allocated to them, urging Gachagua to stop politicising everything.
Resource allocation
”You are more connected to electricity and roads. To whom much is given, much is expected. Those are the consequences. Governors do not build schools; MPs do not have the capacity to build national schools. You should not politicise everything,” Salasya noted.
Also, Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that North Eastern leaders do not reside in their local areas, saying they live in Nairobi’s posh estates. “I was surprised that some leaders from Northern Kenya did not reside or work there. Anytime I visited some countries, they requested space on my aircraft. I would travel with them both ways.” Rigathi Gachagua said.