Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Allasow Hussein has directed national government administrators to stop saluting Governor George Natembeya and according him official courtesies, accusing the county chief of disrespecting President William Ruto.
Hussein issued the directive during Mashujaa Day celebrations in Trans Nzoia County on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, instructing deputy county commissioners, assistant county commissioners, chiefs and assistant chiefs to withhold the courtesies traditionally accorded to the governor.
The commissioner said the decision was a response to what he described as Natembeya’s failure to respect the Head of State, warning administrators against disregarding the directive.
“Anybody who does not respect the president, don’t respect. Unaelewa? Na kuanzia leo hakuna mtu anaruhusiwa kupigia gavana saluti. Sawa? Hakuna,” Hussein said.
He added that administrators should not continue extending courtesies to the governor if they believed he had disrespected the president.
The directive has introduced a fresh twist to the growing political standoff between Natembeya and Ruto, which has been fuelled by disagreements over the Masinde Muliro Market project in Kitale.
Market Dispute Fuels Political Tensions
The dispute centres on the completion and official opening of the modern market, a project intended to provide improved trading facilities for thousands of traders in Kitale.
The Trans Nzoia County Government has previously outlined plans to complete the facility and relocate traders to the new market. By February 2026, the project was nearing completion, with the county government having provided most of the funding.
The national government had agreed to support the remaining works, including an additional KSh56 million.
However, disagreements have emerged over the project’s management, the allocation of stalls and who should take credit for its delivery.
In 2024, the county government said the allocation of stalls would be conducted transparently, with traders displaced to pave the way for construction potentially receiving priority.
The latest confrontation has intensified debate over the respective roles of the county and national governments in implementing and overseeing development projects.
The Linda Mwananchi movement has also accused Ruto of interfering with a county government project, further escalating the political dispute.
Hussein’s directive now adds another dimension to the disagreement, raising questions about relations between national government administrators and the county leadership as tensions between the two political leaders continue to mount.
