NAIROBI, Kenya — A Nairobi court has deferred the adoption of a settlement agreement between Mumias East MP Peter Salasya and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), citing failure by the legislator to immediately comply with key conditions set out in the deal.
The court was informed that prosecutors had received a settlement agreement outlining a series of undertakings by Salasya aimed at promoting national cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
Upon compliance, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) intended to apply for withdrawal of the case under Section 78A of the Criminal Procedure Code.
However, the magistrate declined to immediately adopt the agreement after noting that some of the commitments remained unfulfilled.
The court observed that the agreement requires Salasya to publicly apologise through a press conference and to conduct a social media campaign promoting peace, unity and ethnic harmony—steps that had not yet been undertaken at the time of the hearing.
“These are events you agreed to undertake,” the magistrate stated, adding that the court could not formalise the settlement before the obligations were met.
As a result, the court granted the MP time to comply with the agreed terms, ruling that the agreement would only be adopted once proof of implementation is presented.
“I will not adopt this agreement immediately. I will give you the chance to implement the agreed terms, after which the court will adopt the agreement,” the magistrate ruled.
The matter will be mentioned on a later date to confirm compliance and to consider the prosecution’s anticipated application to withdraw the case.
Salasya’s lawyer welcomed the move toward an out-of-court settlement, thanking both the DPP and the NCIC, and noting that the agreement would help save judicial time and resources.
The case stems from remarks allegedly made by Salasya during a public event last year, which prosecutors described as inflammatory and capable of inciting ethnic tension, prompting criminal charges under laws governing hate speech and national cohesion.
