From unknown to infamous: Peter Salasya the drama king from Mumias

He was shy at first but once he got comfortable, he has not left the headlines; no longer about his grass-to-grace story but scandals, from threatening magistrates to slapping fellow politicians at funerals.

Mr Salasya is back on the lips of many following his attack on a Member of the County Assembly in Kakamega County.

Salasya pounced on Peter Walunya Indimuli during a burial in Mumias and handed him a hot slap across the face that caught him off guard.

The incident triggered an altercation that saw the burial disrupted, with mourners running for their safety as guns were drawn and shots fired.

The MP was later arrested and released on a Ksh.50,000 cash bail, awaiting arraignment on Monday for assault.

He later said he slapped the MCA because he was continuously taunting him and that he had been sent by the area governor to make life difficult for him.

Salasya said he cannot sit back and let people harm him when he can defend himself.

The latest incident was one of many by the first-time MP, whose entry into national politics has been marred by drama and antics.

Peter Kelerwa Salasya, 35, earned the support of Mumias East constituents when he was a bicycle hawker in Kakamega.

He vied for MP in 2017 and came last among nine candidates. He was vocal about the Mumias Sugar company's troubles, and this earned him support from the people.

Without any resources, and with help from Eugene Wamalwa, he vied for the MP seat again in 2022, and he won.

Salasya instantly got thrown into national politics. In his first interview with Citizen Digital, Salasya narrated how he came to Parliament with only Ksh.500 in his pockets. He had nothing, literally.

Over a year down the line, he is now a household name, majorly for all the wrong reasons. If the MP is not on social media flaunting bottles of expensive liquor and looking inebriated, he is probably someone bragging about acquiring a new SUV or fighting in a function attended by Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa.

Salasya is one of the leading critics of Governor Barasa. On November 12, 2023, the MP engaged in a violent altercation with supporters of Barasa, when one of them confronted him and snatched the microphone as he criticised the governor.

Salasya quickly followed the attacker with punches which he missed, while more people rushed to the podium as chaos erupted.

The MP was whisked away even as he fought back, trying to punch his attackers. His bodyguard drew his gun, as police officers tried to calm the situation.

Two weeks later, Salasya shared a video clip on social media standing next to his vandalised Land Cruiser, with the rear screen broken.

He directed an accusing finger at Barasa, saying he had sent goons to attack him and destroy his car. He said the governor was using young men to destroy property, and warned that he might end up shooting someone if he is attacked.

Salasya, later on, attended a burial service where Barasa was, and the master of ceremony could be heard begging the youth in the function to calm down.

His supporters demanded that he be given a chance to speak. Salasya gave a 30-second speech without causing drama.

On social media, Salasya continued to share video clips of him partying with levellers in clubs, drinking and dancing. Also, he did not spare some of his critics.

The MP threatened to unfriend and block whoever criticised his actions, saying he only wants to remain with those supporting him.

He has also threatened to quit the Azimio la Umoja coalition party if he is forced into a handshake with Governor Barasa.

During the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi in September last year, Salasya became a trending topic when he appeared clueless about the summit, which he attended at KICC.

He started well by confirming that indeed, climate change is real but things went off the rails immediately after.

“I was in Mombasa last week, and it was so cold. I asked them, what is happening? They told me the sun has become too much and the ice is melting, and so when it melts, that thing becomes cold,” he said propelling him to a trending topic as Kenyans panned him.

He laughed off the critics saying he is not a climate change expert and went on with his life.

But he did not stay off the headlines for long. He reportedly threatened to kill Magistrate Gladys Kiama of the Kakamega Small Claims Court who ordered him to pay a businessman Ksh.500,000 that he owed.

Following the ruling, the first-time parliamentarian is said to have confronted the Magistrate outside the courtroom and threatened to kill her.

“At around 1230 hours while at Kakamega Law Courts, having delivered a judgement in a small claim matter vide case no. SSC E541/2023 against Hon. Peter Salasya, MP for Mumias East Constituency where he had been sued for failing to refund the money loaned to him by the claimant. He confronted her outside the courtroom and threatened to kill her and then took off,” reads a report filed at the Kakamega Police Station.

He was interrogated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for two hours before being released on a police bail of Ksh.20,000 on December 4.

But no matter how much drama follows Salasya, the man does seem to be working for his constituents.

According to a research poll released by Infotrak in November 2023, Salasya was ranked as one of the top-performing young leaders in Kenya.

According to the poll, Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu) averaged a score of 70% topping the list of the top 10 performing young MPs in 2023.

Igembe South MP Paul Mwirigi was ranked second at 66% tying the position with Christoper Wangaya (Khwisero) and Salasya came in fourth with 64%.