- The deployment, which reportedly began around midnight, saw General Service Unit (GSU) officers and anti-riot police stationed around the market ahead of a planned prayer service led by Governor Natembeya.
Business operations in Kitale town were disrupted on Monday following a heavy police deployment at the newly commissioned Masinde Muliro Market amid escalating tensions between President William Ruto and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.
The deployment, which reportedly began around midnight, saw General Service Unit (GSU) officers and anti-riot police stationed around the market ahead of a planned prayer service led by Governor Natembeya.
The heightened security presence sparked fears of a possible confrontation, prompting traders to stay away from the usually busy central business district.
Businessman Anthony Masika said the deployment had affected commercial activities, with roadblocks restricting access to parts of the town.
"Businesspeople are not operating because there is tension. Police officers are everywhere, and even as we speak, there are roadblocks preventing traders from accessing town," he said.
The planned prayers were instead briefly held at the governor's office before police arrived and dispersed the gathering.
Later in the afternoon, police reportedly attempted to arrest Governor Natembeya at his Milimani residence, but the operation was unsuccessful.
The standoff prompted business leaders to appeal for dialogue between the governor and the national government, warning that continued political tensions could further disrupt economic activities.
Trans Nzoia Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) chairperson Titus Kilongi urged President Ruto to engage local business leaders in resolving the dispute.
"I am appealing to our President. We know you are a good man. Sit down and reason with us. Maybe if you had involved the business community leadership and the Chamber of Commerce, this matter could have been put to rest," Kilongi said.
Another businessman, Martin Waliaula, criticised the disruption, urging political leaders to keep their differences away from commercial activities.
"We have never experienced this kind of tension affecting business in Trans Nzoia. If it is politics, conduct your politics at the national level, but do not bring it into business," he said.
Governor Natembeya, meanwhile, called for traders to be allowed to continue operating at their current locations until the dispute surrounding the market is resolved.
The controversy has also drawn criticism from the Linda Mwananchi movement, which accused the government of deploying state security agencies to intimidate political opponents.
In a statement issued by its Head of Communications, Pauline Njoroge, the movement claimed that President Ruto's involvement in the market dispute reflected what it described as a lack of national government projects to commission.
"Ruto's determination to attach himself to the market exposes his evident lack of national government projects to launch. Mr Ruto appears fearful of the clock, time having caught up with him without much to show for his four years in office," Njoroge said.
The movement further accused the government of increasingly relying on security agencies to suppress political dissent.
"Ruto's deployment of police security and heavy security hardware at the market during this standoff confirms what we already knew: that his dwindling political fortunes have reached a point where he increasingly relies on state force as a survival mechanism," the statement read.
The latest confrontation follows disagreements surrounding the commissioning and proposed relaunch of the Masinde Muliro Market, with Natembeya's planned activities at the facility becoming the latest flashpoint in his political differences with the President.