NATEMBEYA GOES OFF RADAR AMID STATE CRACKDOWN

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya is reportedly in hiding after detectives raided his Kitale residence on Monday, October 19, in an escalating political standoff with President William Ruto’s administration over the management of the newly completed Masinde Muliro Market.

The early-morning operation, reportedly involving officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), came amid heightened security tensions in Kitale and ahead of a planned gathering by Natembeya and local residents over the allocation of market stalls.

The governor was reportedly not at home when the officers arrived, with the opposition movement Linda Mwananchi accusing the government of attempting to intimidate him over his outspoken criticism of the national administration.

“The home of George Natembeya has also been raided in an attempt to harass him, but they did not find him! We will continue to call out this regime and their unlawful attempts to silence voices of the opposition that protect and uphold the rule of law! Sisi hatununui uoga! (We do not buy into fear!)” Linda Mwananchi stated.

The raid triggered a tense confrontation around the governor’s residence as supporters and residents gathered to protest the operation. Reports indicated that members of the public deflated the tyres of five vehicles belonging to the security teams, preventing them from moving.

Anti-riot police were subsequently deployed to disperse the crowds, with teargas reportedly fired as protesters blocked some access roads using burning materials.

The developments came hours after Natembeya accused President Ruto of exerting control over independent state institutions, including Parliament and the security agencies, during a local radio interview on Monday.

“The Senate also has been taken hostage. The National Assembly has been taken hostage. All government institutions, from the police to the military and Parliament,” Natembeya said.

He questioned whether the Senate could effectively discharge its constitutional mandate of protecting county governments from interference by the national government.

“The function of the Senate is to protect county governments. There is nothing else,” he said.

The latest developments are rooted in a growing dispute over the Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale, which President Ruto officially opened on Friday, October 16, despite objections from the county government.

Natembeya maintains that the project was undertaken by the county government using local resources and support from the World Bank, accusing the national administration of taking credit for development initiatives implemented by the county.

He has also accused the President of interfering with the allocation of stalls, claiming that traders previously identified by his administration were being replaced by individuals he did not recognise.

“We completed the market and organized local traders to move in, but the President has intervened, removing the traders I selected and replacing them with people I do not know. Tomorrow [Monday], we will stand alongside the residents to reclaim Masinde Muliro Market for the people it was built to serve—not political cartels.”

The governor had vowed to return to the market on Monday alongside residents to challenge the allocation process and push for the reinstatement of the traders who had initially been assigned spaces.

The dispute has also raised questions about the project's cost and implementation history.

In a statement defending the county government, Linda Mwananchi's Head of Communication, Pauline Njoroge, said the project was commissioned during the 2017/18 financial year at a cost of KSh 874,280,383.

Njoroge also acknowledged that the Office of the Auditor-General had raised queries in its 2023/24 audit report concerning delays in completion, seven contract extensions, variations in project costs and documentation relating to land ownership.

She maintained that Natembeya inherited the outstanding audit concerns from the previous administration and had since worked towards resolving them. The Senate County Public Investments Committee had also inspected the project and acknowledged efforts to address the issues, according to the statement.

Linda Mwananchi further criticised the deployment of police and security personnel around the market, describing the confrontation as part of a wider struggle over devolution and the division of responsibilities between the two levels of government.

“Ruto’s deployment of police 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,” part of the statement explained.

The market dispute is unfolding alongside a separate disagreement over the construction of the new Kitale Level 5 Hospital on the site of the former Kitale District Hospital.

During a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Ruto committed KSh 1 billion to the hospital project, saying it would improve access to healthcare in the region.

“Mimi nataka kuwaambia wenzangu, kila kiongozi awajibike bwana, kila kiongozi awajibike…vile nilikuja nikaskia mambo ya Shakahola nimekuja na shilingi bilioni moja kuwajengea hospitali ya level 5,” Ruto said then.

Natembeya has questioned the county government's involvement in the project, arguing that construction is taking place on county land without adequate consultation with his administration. He has also challenged the national government's role in determining the ownership and management of projects within the county's jurisdiction.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen warned the governor on Sunday, October 18, against interfering with the hospital project. Murkomen accused Natembeya of threatening to disrupt the President's development plans, maintaining that the projects were intended to benefit residents rather than individual leaders.

Natembeya, however, has insisted that the Constitution must be respected and that the national government should not interfere with the responsibilities of elected county officials.

The raid also follows the second reported withdrawal of Natembeya's state security detail, with the latest action coming days before the detectives arrived at his residence.

On Thursday, October 15, the governor called on Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja to explain the decision, which reportedly involved the withdrawal of officers attached to his security team.

“I call upon the Inspector-General of the National Police Service to provide a formal explanation of the reasons for this decision... Any decision affecting my security should be accompanied by written reasons and comply with Article 47 of the Constitution.”

Article 47 guarantees the right to administrative action that is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair.

The security dispute followed an intensifying exchange between Natembeya and Ruto over the governor's criticism of national government projects in Trans Nzoia. Natembeya's bodyguards had previously been recalled after he addressed a gathering in Kiminini and criticised the administration.

On Saturday, October 17, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka warned the government against attempting to arrest or intimidate Natembeya, saying the opposition would offer him legal protection.

“I want to make it very clear to this regime that we will resist any attempt to harass any national leader, and so Governor Natembeya included,” Kalonzo said.

Kalonzo claimed he had received information suggesting that police were considering arresting Natembeya and possibly other leaders associated with the United Alternative Government.

His warning followed confrontations between rival groups in Kitale on October 16, during which the National Police Service reported that two officers were injured and two government vehicles damaged.

As the political dispute deepens, the raid on Natembeya's residence has added another layer to the confrontation, with questions emerging over the circumstances surrounding the operation, the governor's whereabouts and the growing deployment of security personnel in the county.