Security has been increased at Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County, ahead of traders being allowed into the market. General Service Unit (GSU) personnel patrolled the site on Monday, November 9, amid mounting tension after Governor George Natembeya issued an order for traders with valid allocation letters to enter the site from Tuesday, November 10.

The order has exacerbated tensions between the county and national governments over management of the newly commissioned trading site.

Natembeya said traders who had previously been issued with valid trade authorisation letters by his administration should be allowed to trade in the market as the facility was built for local traders.

“Tomorrow, all traders who were issued with valid authorisation letters by my government are permitted to enter and operate at Masinde Muliro Market,” he said. “When we were constructing the markets, we were doing that for our traders. Now you are here, and yet you don’t have space in the market. Who has space in that market?”

However, the increased security has caused concern amongst traders who are worried the stand off will affect their business as they would struggle to get customers and suppliers in.

The argument between the two governments has caused confusion for traders, with concerns over how the traders will be allocated. Kitale Market Traders Association chairman Silas Kilonge said he was also concerned over how the trading permits will be issued and who will collect revenue from traders. This is due to confusion over whether traders who have been allocated space by the county will be recognised.

The argument has escalated since the President William Ruto officially opened Masinde Muliro Market on October 16, 2026. The new multi-storey trading site has 2,980 trading slots and cold storage facilities to help traders trade in a more organised system.

During the opening ceremony, Ruto told County Commissioner Hassan Allasow Hussein to prioritise around 1,500 traders who had been displaced during redevelopment of the market and the remaining slots would be decided by ballot.

However, Natembeya has argued that as the county funded much of the development, they should manage the market. He said trading and management of the market is a county government function and accused the national government of meddling.

The national government have argued their involvement helped to revive and complete the project. However, the argument has gone further than just the trading slots. As reported by the Daily Nation, there are concerns over funding, ownership, management and revenue collection.

The market was started by the county government under the previous administration and has been estimated to cost around KSh840 million to complete. The two levels of government have different stories to tell.

Natembeya said the most recent order is in line with a court order and the county allowing authorised traders into the market. He said traders with valid trade documents should be allowed to trade in their allocated slots.

However, as there are two different systems in place for traders to be allocated slots, there are concerns there may be conflict. The argument has resulted in large police presence in the past and traders have reported disruptions to their business as police have cordoned off parts of Kitale town.

In October traders were left confused after the county issued notices affecting traders already trading in slots. The latest order has highlighted the concern around whether traders will be able to enter the market on Tuesday without conflict.

The main issue for the business community is confusion over who will qualify for a slot and who will manage the day to day running of the market. With thousands of slots up for grabs, this could cause confusion for traders who were expecting a stable trading environment once the new market opened.