Kitale Market Standoff Between President Ruto and Governor Natembeya Moves to High Court

The High Court has temporarily stopped the allocation of stalls at the Ksh800 million Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale, adding a legal dimension to a political showdown between President William Ruto and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.

According to People Daily, the court issued conservatory orders barring the national government and its agents from allocating trading spaces.

The orders will remain in force pending the hearing and determination of a case challenging the allocation process. About 2,700 stalls were affected.

The modern facility was funded through the World Bank-backed Kenya Urban Support Programme and implemented by the county government.

It was designed to accommodate nearly 3,000 traders and transform commerce in Kitale. It has since become the centre of a bitter dispute over ownership, management, allocation of stalls and credit for the project.

Tensions escalated when President Ruto toured Kitale and presided over the official opening of the market, during which stalls were allocated to traders.

The county government objected, arguing that managing markets and allocating trading spaces are functions assigned to counties by the Constitution.

Governor Natembeya’s administration carried out its own allocation exercise and challenged the occupation of some stalls, demanding that traders present their allocation documents for verification.

The court orders now bar further allocations by national government actors as the case proceeds. The uncertainty has left hundreds of traders unsure of their status, and armed police officers have been deployed to guard the premises amid fears that the dispute could escalate.

Governor Natembeya has accused the national government of taking credit for projects started and implemented by the county.

Ruto and his allies maintain that the national government has played a significant role in advancing development projects in Trans Nzoia, including the market.

The dispute has divided local leaders along political lines. Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang, a strong Ruto ally, has defended the President’s involvement, arguing that development should not be politicised.

Kiminini MP Kakai Bisau and UDA Woman Representative Lilian Siyoi have accused the county administration of frustrating efforts to empower traders.

On the other side, Saboti MP Caleb Amisi and other opposition-leaning leaders have warned that allowing national officials to allocate stalls in a county-managed facility could undermine devolution.

Residents remain divided. Some welcome the President’s intervention and want the market made operational quickly, while others insist all allocations must comply with the law.

Link; https://epaper.peopledaily.digital/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=People Daily&pubid=2d11dca3-13c2-4add-9dc1-cee781ba2925

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