His response, however, appeared to further irritate the Speaker. Wetang’ula swiftly dismissed him, ordering him to sit down and emphasizing that no excuses would be tolerated, particularly since the day’s debate centred on the crucial issue of parliamentary independence.
Wetang’ula then disclosed that it was Ichung’wah who had reported Salasya, emphasizing that the issue was not only his live streaming of the session but also the inappropriate remarks he made during the broadcast.
Committed to resolving the matter, the Speaker announced that since Salasya refused to confess, he would direct the parliamentary clerk to seize his phone, extract the evidence, and initiate disciplinary measures.
“The issue is, were you streaming the proceedings live and making comments along the way? Comments that your colleagues are saying are unpalatable? That is the issue that has been raised by the Member for Kikuyu.
“What I will do is I’ll instruct the clerk to get the logs on your phone, and if I find that what is being alleged is correct, I will invite a member to file complaints and refer you to the Powers and Privileges Committee for appropriate action, you can also be named,” he ruled.
Viral Tea has since seen the clip in question, which showed Salasya joking about the matter while Ichung’wah was addressing the majority-minority debate, jeering him while boasting about strategically positioning himself in a corner where he believed the Speaker would struggle to spot him, joking that his sole mission there was to make noise.
“Hapa mambo imechemka na hatutaki mchezo. Nimekaa kwa corner, kazi yangu ni kutoa sauti hapa, hata hakuna speaker anaweza ona. Nimekaa hapa kwa corner, kazi yangu ni kupiga kelele,” he is heard saying.
Loosely translated to “Things are thick here and we don’t want jokes. I’m seated in my corner, my work is to make sounds, and not even the Speaker can see me. I’m seated at the corner and my work is to make noise.”
The heated debate stemmed from a High Court ruling that the Kenya Kwanza coalition led by President William Ruto is not the majority party in the National Assembly. A three-judge bench on Friday, February 7 found that Speaker Wetang’ula violated the Constitution in making the determination on October 6, 2022, thought to have sparked controversy, a move that handed Azimio la Umoja the upper hand in the battle.
The Azimio camp on Tuesday tried to stamp its authority in the National Assembly over Kenya Kwanza, though Wetangula clarified that while the court had overturned his earlier ruling on the matter, it did not assign majority status to any coalition.
The Speaker is set to rule on the matter in the course of this week. According to the Registrar of Political Parties, the Azimio coalition has 171 members compared to Kenya Kwanza’s 165, although disputes regarding 14 members’ coalition affiliation were emphasized.