- Interdenominational religious leaders from across the Trans Nzoia region gathered to pray for Governor George Natembeya on Monday, October 19
- The prayer visit came as Natembeya's feud with President William Ruto over county development projects intensified significantly
- Police deployed water cannons and blocked the governor from accessing a county-built market on the same day clergy offered their support
Nancy Odindo is a current affairs writer at Tuko.co.ke (joined in 2023). She has one year of experience in print and more than five years in digital media.
Interdenominational religious leaders converged on Trans Nzoia county on Monday, October 19, to pray for Governor George Natembeya as his public dispute with President William Ruto over development projects in the region continued to deepen.
Source: Twitter
Natembeya acknowledged the visit on his X account, expressing gratitude for the show of solidarity from faith leaders who had set aside denominational differences to intercede on his behalf and for the people of Trans Nzoia.
"I am humbled by the interdenominational religious leaders from across the region who gathered to pray for me and the people of Trans Nzoia. Thank you for your unity in faith and intercession. May God continue to bless our county," Natembeya wrote.
Natembeya blocked from county market
The clergy visit coincided with a tense standoff at Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale, which the county government says it constructed. Speaking during an interview, Natembeya said he was prevented from accessing the facility on Monday, with police officers deployed to deny him entry.
Water cannons were also brought in as residents took to the streets to protest the move.
The market had become a point of contention after Ruto commissioned it during a development tour of Trans Nzoia in mid-October, an act Natembeya described as an attempt to take credit for work carried out by the county government.
Ruto and Natembeya clash over hospital project
The tensions between the two leaders escalated further during the president's tour, when Ruto launched the proposed upgrade of Kitale Level 5 Hospital and publicly criticised the governor for failing to back the project.
Source: Facebook
Natembeya, however, questioned whether the intervention fell within the constitutional mandate of the national government and urged both sides to respect the boundaries set by Kenya's devolution framework.
The governor also addressed the military's involvement in the hospital upgrade, cautioning that the armed forces should not be drawn into what he characterised as a personal disagreement between himself and the head of state.
Natembeya further accused the president of acting on political rhetoric rather than verified intelligence, asserting that while he could not work with Ruto personally, he remained willing to cooperate with the presidency in his capacity as governor.
He maintained that the president's remarks about him were politically motivated rather than grounded in an objective assessment of the situation on the ground.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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