Siaya's oldest administrative center that time forgot

Madiany, one of the oldest administrative centres in Siaya, has been overtaken by what used to be tiny markets

It is one of the oldest administrative centres in Siaya County and was once a vibrant market.

But today, little is heard about Madiany. More than 20 years after it hosted the headquarters of what is today Rarieda sub-county, there is not even a single commercial bank at the centre.

Word has it that the headquarters was ‘temporarily’ transferred to Aram market, 10km away, after a strong wind blew off the roof of the district commissioner’s office.

Madiany seems forgotten and, depending on the season, is left to mud and dust. Livestock from the village are a ubiquitous nuisance.

Kept waiting

Residents recall with nostalgia a well-kept district headquarters, secured with wire fence.

Maurice Ajwang, 70, has just cycled from Chianda, about 15km away, with a brown envelope addressed to the area agricultural extension officer. Ajwang tells The Standard he has waited for over four hours before being attended to.

He had come to see the sub-county’s agricultural officer, whose office and that of the administration police are the only ones still remaining at Madiany.

“I came here very early in the morning only to find the office still locked. I have been told the officer will come at around 10am,” he says, adding that not all services can be found at the current headquarters in Aram.

There is no activity at the offices, the wire fence is in bits and pieces and the structure which housed various departments is an abandoned eyesore.

Senior citizens say the small town once hosted a cotton ginnery, which was a beehive of activity as trucks offloaded cotton from Bondo and other parts of the county. But all is quiet now.

Madiany grew into a pulsating administrative centre, complete with a police station, when other urban centres such as Usenge were mere market centres.

But things have changed. Madiany has been eclipsed by these centres. However, its health centre has grown and expanded into a sub-county referral hospital. However, locals have refused to give land for its expansion, stunting its growth.

New buildings have come up, but some of the older ones, especially houses occupied by Government officials, are in dire need of a facelift.

Forgotten lot

Administration Police officers, who are the active lot at the centre, are also a forgotten lot.

“Since almost all the services were transferred to Aram, the Government has forgotten to even build a latrine here. We use public toilets at the market centre,” an officer who requested anonymity said.

Rarieda sub-county Luo Council of Elder chair James Ayaga urged professionals from Madiany to work towards its growth.

He also refuted claims the transfer was politically instigated, arguing that representatives from Asembo and Uyoma were called for a meeting before the decision to transfer the headquarters was made.

Last month, Rarieda Constituency Development Fund released Sh7.2 million to kick-start construction of a Kenya Medical Training College in the area.

Area MP Otiende Amollo said they had already acquired over 10 acres and were in negotiations with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology to establish a campus in the area.