Awendo

Awendo is a town in Migori County, Kenya; also known as Sare-Awendo. Sony Sugar Company (Sony) is within Awendo. Awendo is the headquarters of the South Nyanza sugar belt.

History

Awendo has been located at a junction of trading routes since pre-colonial times, and the town is thought to have been a centre of trade since at least the early 19th century. When the British government established the East Africa Protectorate in Kenya in the latter half of that century, they set up an office in the Awendo area, which was used to extract taxes and carryout registration of local animals. Indian traders began arriving in the area shortly after this and set up a rudimentary market where they sold goods. The arrival of the A1 road through the town, which followed the same north–south route used by previous traders, saw significant expansion of the town. A primary school and health centre were set up by European missionary workers and the market expanded.

In 1976, the South Nyanza Sugar Company (Sony Sugar) was formed, which constructed a large sugar factory built close to Awendo that opened in 1980. The project cost 30 million GBP in an area which had previously been dominated by subsistence farming without significant investment in agriculture. Local farmers were recruited to grow the sugar for the factory and were paid 9,000 KES per hectare of crop, enabling them to improve their housing. The company was operated on behalf of the Kenyan government by Mahendra Mehta, a Indian Ugandan who had been expelled by Idi Amin. The factory was not a success initially, but output improved following a development project which took place between 1986 and 1996, improving the factory and investing in equipment for farmers.

Sport

• Green Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 5,000 people, is located in Awendo.
• Sony Sugar, an association football club plays its home games at the stadium.