- President William Ruto handed over the completed Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale on Friday, October 16, 2026.
- The President announced KSh15 million for 1,500 traders affected by the construction, with each set to receive KSh10,000.
- Ruto said the project had stalled for four years before he intervened to mobilise funds for its completion.
- The market has 2,980 trading spaces and cold storage facilities.
- Ruto warned against selling stalls to traders, insisting that those displaced by the project would receive priority.
President William Ruto has announced financial support for traders affected by the construction of Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County. During the facility’s handover on Friday, October 16, 2026, he pledged KSh15 million to help 1,500 traders resume their businesses. Each trader is expected to receive KSh10,000 following the disruption caused by the construction project. The new facility has 2,980 trading spaces, alongside cold storage facilities and other amenities.
Ruto said the project had remained incomplete for four years before he intervened to secure the money needed to finish the work. He explained that he directed Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga to identify the outstanding funds and facilitate the completion of the market. The President said the priority was to provide displaced traders with a suitable place to operate. He maintained that the completed facility would offer an organised trading environment for businesses in Kitale.
President Warns Against Selling Market Stalls
The allocation of stalls emerged as a key issue during the handover, with Ruto insisting that traders displaced by the project must be given priority. He said the government had records identifying the 1,500 affected business owners. According to the President, the list would guide the allocation process and help prevent outsiders from taking spaces meant for the original traders. He also warned that anyone attempting to sell the stalls to beneficiaries would face legal action.
The President’s position places the focus on how the 2,980 spaces will be distributed among traders seeking to return to business. The 1,500 people affected by the construction are expected to be prioritised, although the allocation process will determine how the available spaces are assigned. Ruto also announced the KSh15 million package as financial assistance for those who experienced business disruption during the construction period. The proposed payments are intended to help traders meet their immediate business needs as they settle into the new facility.
The President said the financial package would provide direct assistance to the business owners affected by the market’s redevelopment. Under the announced arrangement, each of the 1,500 traders is set to receive KSh10,000, bringing the total allocation to KSh15 million. Ruto said the money would help them continue their businesses after the disruption. The announcement adds a financial component to the handover beyond the provision of permanent trading spaces.
The impact of the support will depend on how the payments are administered and how quickly traders can resume operations. Access to stalls and the ability to restock goods will also influence how businesses recover. The market’s cold storage facilities may provide additional infrastructure for traders dealing in goods that require controlled storage conditions. Details on the payment schedule and the final stall allocation were not provided in the supplied account.
Ruto and Natembeya Disagree Over Project Credit
The opening of the market has also drawn attention to a dispute between the national government and Trans Nzoia County over the project’s funding and completion. Governor George Natembeya has questioned Ruto’s decision to commission a facility he says was funded by the county government. His position challenges the national government’s role in the project and the credit being claimed for its completion. Ruto, on the other hand, says his intervention helped mobilise the remaining funds after the construction stalled.
The disagreement previously escalated when Natembeya threatened to remove a plaque bearing the President’s name and replace it with one carrying his own. The dispute has highlighted questions about the respective contributions of the two levels of government to the market. However, the competing claims over funding do not, on their own, establish the full breakdown of expenditure by each administration. Project records would be needed to establish the funding history and the contributions made at each stage.
With the market handed over, attention now turns to the process of allocating stalls and returning displaced businesses to permanent premises. The facility has capacity for 2,980 traders, while the President has singled out the 1,500 affected by construction for priority consideration. The announced financial support is also expected to assist the traders as they restart operations. The process will be important in determining how the new market serves the businesses it was built to accommodate.
The handover marks a new phase for the project, but questions over funding responsibility and the allocation of trading spaces remain significant. Ruto has publicly outlined his administration’s role in completing the facility, while Natembeya has challenged the national government’s claim to the project. The eventual distribution of stalls and implementation of the financial package will be key developments to watch.
