The Milimani Magistrate’s Court has scheduled the hearing of Mumias East MP Peter Salasya’s hate speech case for January 17, 2026, after conciliation talks before the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) failed to take off.

In his ruling, Senior Resident Magistrate Paul Mutai noted that the conciliation process had taken too long and directed that the matter proceed to a full hearing.

The prosecution informed the court that the talks stalled following the expiry of the NCIC’s term leaving the process incomplete.

Last month, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Virginia Kariuki had requested that the case be referred to the NCIC for review, arguing that the Commission could help facilitate reconciliation. The court granted the request and allowed the parties one month to engage in the conciliation efforts.

During today’s session, the prosecutor had sought more time, to allow the commission to finalise the talks.

Magistrate Mutai questioned whether referring the matter to the NCIC would amount to a parallel trial but the prosecution clarified that the Commission’s role was only to offer recommendations, not determine guilt.

The magistrate also inquired why the NCIC had not been involved earlier, before the MP was charged. In response, the prosecution explained that although the DPP and NCIC are independent entities, they often collaborate on hate speech cases.