What was meant to be a routine address on development initiatives turned into a makeshift roadside rally and a powerful moment of political resistance for Mumias East MP Peter Salasya.
Blocked from speaking at an official venue in Port Victoria by what he describes as an unidentified Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) in Budalangi, Salasya didn’t walk away. Instead, he did what many of his constituents have come to expect: he adapted.
“I was shocked, yes, but not silenced,” Salasya said after addressing residents from the side of the road. “When institutions fail us, we take our message directly to the people.”
The MP’s impromptu speech delivered in open air highlighted a key proposal close to the hearts of many locals: the establishment of a fish processing plant in Budalangi. It’s an initiative he says would generate jobs and strengthen the region’s economy, especially for youth and small-scale fishermen.
While the incident underscored the tensions between elected officials and security agencies, it also revealed a deeper dynamic at play: a growing reliance on direct engagement and informal spaces to keep political conversations alive.
Salasya’s experience may have started with a microphone being taken away but it ended with his voice amplified by the very people he was trying to reach.
