NAIROBI, Kenya – More than 2,700 traders at Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale have been ordered to vacate the facility within 24 hours, escalating a dispute between the national government and Trans Nzoia County over who should occupy the newly commissioned market.
The eviction notice, issued by the county government, has left traders uncertain about the status of their stalls and the future of businesses they had begun operating at the facility following its official opening by President William Ruto on October 16, 2026.
The county’s directive came amid heightened political tensions between Ruto and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, who have disagreed over the project’s funding, completion and management.
County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Housing, Physical Planning and Urban Development Pius Gumo directed occupants to remove their goods and clear the premises within 24 hours.
Gumo said the county did not recognise some of the traders currently occupying the stalls, insisting that only those issued with official letters of offer by the county should be allowed to take up the available spaces.
“Wale ambao serikali ya kaunti ilipatia letter of offer ili wakuje waweze kuangalia hizo nafasi, si wale ambao wako ndani sasa. Wale ambao wame-occupy sisi wenyewe hatuwajui,” Gumo said, arguing that the administration could not verify the status of some current occupants.
County Cites Occupation Requirements
The county government has also cited the absence of an occupation certificate as a reason for ordering traders to leave the facility.
In the notice, the administration directed occupants with valid allocation letters, leases or other written authorisation to present their documents for verification. It warned that enforcement action could follow for those who failed to comply.
The dispute therefore extends beyond political disagreements over the market’s ownership and funding to the question of which traders have been formally authorised to occupy the stalls.
Some traders have challenged the directive, saying they entered the market under a court order and should not be removed without a further court directive. Their position introduces a legal dimension to the standoff, although the precise scope and status of the orders would need to be established from the relevant court records.
Traders Fear Losing Their Businesses
The uncertainty has disrupted business operations at the market, with traders saying the competing instructions from government leaders have made it difficult to know whether they can continue operating.
Some had already moved goods into the facility and started serving customers after the President’s commissioning of the market. The eviction notice threatens to interrupt those operations and expose traders to losses as they attempt to establish whether their allocations will be recognised.
The market has also remained under heavy police security amid tensions surrounding its opening and subsequent occupation.
Traders have called on the national and county governments to agree on a clear process for allocating stalls and managing the facility, arguing that businesses should not be caught in the middle of the political dispute.
The standoff had already affected commercial activity in Kitale, with reports of traders staying away from the market amid a heavy police presence and uncertainty over access to the premises.
Who Built the Market? Ruto and Natembeya Disagree
The dispute has its roots in competing accounts of how the market was completed and who should oversee its operations.
Natembeya has maintained that the county government played the leading role in constructing the facility using devolved funds, with support from development partners. Before the President’s visit, the governor objected to what he viewed as an attempt by the national government to take credit for a county project.
Ruto, meanwhile, said his administration intervened to complete a project that had stalled, including providing additional funding to facilitate its completion and the return of traders displaced during construction.
The market, also known as the Masinde Muliro Business Park or Multi-Storey Business Complex, was designed to accommodate thousands of traders and provide improved facilities for businesses in Kitale and surrounding areas. Reports have cited a capacity of about 3,000 trading spaces.
The competing claims have since shifted from who should receive credit for the project to who has authority to allocate stalls and determine which traders may operate there.
Devolution Debate Adds to the Standoff
The row has also drawn political reactions over the division of responsibilities between national and county governments.
The Linda Mwananchi movement has backed Natembeya’s position, arguing that the development and management of local markets fall within the mandate of devolved governments. The national government has defended its role in helping complete the facility.
The disagreement has unfolded against a backdrop of heightened political tensions in Kitale, including clashes involving rival political supporters after Ruto’s visit. Police reported that two officers were injured and two government vehicles damaged during violence on October 16.
For the traders, however, the immediate concern is whether they will be allowed to continue earning a living from the market.
The dispute now leaves the two levels of government facing pressure to establish a clear, lawful and transparent process for managing the market without further disrupting traders’ livelihoods.
