In today’s court news, Mumias East Member of Parliament, Peter Kalerwa Salasya, has pleaded not guilty to hate speech charges brought against him.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate P.K. Mutai, Salasya was accused of using his verified X (formerly Twitter) account to post statements deemed insulting to the Luo community.
The prosecution claimed that Salasya’s remarks were made knowingly and with the intent to incite ethnic hatred between the Luhya and Luo communities.
In seeking his release on bond, Salasya’s legal team argued that his rights were violated during his arrest. They told the court that an unidentified individual shot at the rear tire of his vehicle, forcing him to stop. Following his arrest, they alleged, he was taken to an undisclosed location before eventually being held at Central Police Station without communication access.
The defense further claimed that police officers confiscated all of Salasya’s communication devices.
The court granted Salasya release on a bond of Ksh 500,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 200,000.
The case is scheduled for mention on June 4, 2025.
