Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has fired back at Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, accusing him of arrogance and a sense of political entitlement. The fierce exchange followed remarks Sifuna made during an appearance on Citizen TV’s Daybreak on Thursday, May 8, which Salasya claims disrespected him.
Taking to social media, Salasya asserted that he deserved respect from the ODM Secretary General, whom he criticized for riding on the coattails of party leader Raila Odinga to achieve political success. In contrast, Salasya described himself as a grassroots politician who fought his way into Parliament without party favoritism.
“Edwin Sifuna, you have a degree in law; I have a degree in banking and finance. You’re a Senator, I’m a Member of Parliament. You come from Western, and I come from Western. The only difference between us is that I am self-made, while you were given your position by Raila Odinga. You can’t survive politically without him, so respect me — I’m your presidential candidate,” Salasya stated.
He further cautioned Sifuna against using legal language to appear superior in political debates, arguing that legalese belongs in courtrooms, not political discourse. “Too much English shouldn’t make you arrogant. Take it to court, not into politics,” he added.
To underscore his point, Salasya mentioned that his personal assistant, Elvis Anguche, is a qualified lawyer—subtly undermining Sifuna’s reliance on his legal background.
Sifuna’s Remarks During TV Interview
The spat escalated after Sifuna clashed with Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda on Daybreak over the controversial 10-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
During the live broadcast, Sifuna rebuked Ojienda for criticizing the document without, in his view, fully understanding it. In a sharp jab, he likened Ojienda’s stance to Salasya’s.
“I can forgive Salasya for refusing to read this document and assuming Sifuna signed it, but I cannot forgive Professor Ojienda,” Sifuna said.
He added, “You are a professor of law, please don’t behave like Salasya. Read the document so that you can understand and explain it to your people.”
The fiery remarks came as debate around the MoU continues to dominate Kenya’s political landscape. Sifuna clarified that the concept of a broad-based government existed before the February 7, 2025 MoU, noting that leaders like Mbadi and Joho were already in Cabinet roles before the agreement was signed.
“The so-called broad-based animal started existing in Ruto’s mind before this document was signed. It was signed on February 7, 2025, by that time, Mbadi, Joho and the other were already in the cabinet,” Sifuna remarked.
