Trans Nzoia Commissioner directs administrators to withhold courtesies from Natembeya

Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Allasow Hussein has ordered chiefs, assistant chiefs and other national government administrators to stop saluting Governor George Natembeya, deepening the political standoff between the county leader and President William Ruto over the disputed Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale.

Hussein issued the directive during Mashujaa Day celebrations in Trans Nzoia County on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, instructing deputy county commissioners, assistant county commissioners, chiefs and assistant chiefs to withdraw the official courtesies normally extended to the governor.

He linked the order to what he described as Natembeya's failure to respect the President, warning administrators against continuing to salute the governor.

“Anybody who does not respect the president, don’t respect. Unaelewa? Na kuanzia leo hakuna mtu anaruhusiwa kupigia gavana saluti. Sawa? Hakuna. *Kwa hiyo ni heshima ambayo imekosea rais, na sisi pia tumekosea, na hiyo ninasema bila woga,” Hussein stated.

The commissioner maintained that government officials were expected to show respect to the Head of State and cautioned administrators against disregarding his instructions.

The directive adds a new dimension to the growing disagreement between Natembeya and Ruto, which has centred on the opening and management of the Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale. The dispute has strained relations between the county administration and the national government, with both sides facing questions over their roles in the project.

The political tensions follow a prolonged dispute over the Masinde Muliro Market, a major trading facility in Kitale that has been under development for several years.

The Trans Nzoia County Government had previously outlined plans to complete the project and move traders into the modern facility. By February 2026, construction was nearing completion, with the county government having provided most of the funding.

The national government had agreed to support the remaining construction work, including an additional Sh56 million.

The project is intended to accommodate thousands of traders and provide improved facilities to replace older market infrastructure. In 2024, the county government said the allocation of stalls would be conducted transparently, with traders displaced to make way for construction potentially given priority.

However, the disagreement has increasingly shifted towards who should oversee the market's operations, determine the allocation of stalls and receive credit for delivering the project.

The differences have turned the facility into a point of political contention between the county leadership and the national administration, extending the dispute beyond construction to questions of management and control.

The standoff intensified after the Linda Mwananchi movement publicly supported Natembeya, accusing Ruto of interfering in a project that falls under the responsibilities of county governments.

In a statement released on Monday, October 19, 2026, the movement argued that the construction of markets is a devolved function and maintained that the Kitale facility had been built by the Trans Nzoia County Government.

Through its head of communication, Pauline Njoroge, the movement said the market should serve local traders rather than become a battleground for political rivalry.

“It is important to mention from the outset that the function of building markets rests squarely with the devolved units, and the market in Kitale was indeed constructed by the Trans Nzoia County Government,” the Linda Mwananchi Movement stated.

The movement's intervention added to the debate over the respective responsibilities of the national and county governments, as the dispute continued to attract political attention.

Its support for Natembeya also brought the wider debate over devolution into focus, with the market becoming a central issue in the strained relationship between the governor and the President.

Police Deployment Disrupts Business in Kitale

The political dispute has also affected commercial activities in Kitale, where a heavy police deployment on Monday disrupted normal business operations.

The security operation reportedly began around midnight, with General Service Unit (GSU) officers and anti-riot police stationed around Masinde Muliro Market ahead of a planned prayer service led by Natembeya.

The presence of security officers raised fears of a possible confrontation, prompting traders to stay away from the usually busy central business district.

The planned prayers were instead briefly held at the governor's office before police officers arrived and dispersed the gathering.

Later in the afternoon, police reportedly attempted to arrest Natembeya at his Milimani residence, but the operation was unsuccessful.

The developments prompted business leaders to appeal to the governor and the national government to resolve their differences through dialogue. They warned that continued political tensions could further disrupt business and economic activities in the town.

Natembeya, meanwhile, called for traders to be allowed to continue operating from their current locations until the dispute over the market is resolved.

Hussein's directive now adds another point of disagreement, extending the dispute beyond the market's management to the official courtesies accorded to the governor by national government administrators.

The developments leave relations between the county leadership and the national administration under further strain as calls for dialogue continue amid concerns over the impact of the dispute on traders and businesses in Kitale.