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28-800: Fort Portal or Kabarole ( lit.   ' let them see ' ) is a city located in the Western Region of Uganda . It is the seat of both Kabarole District and historically of the Tooro Kingdom . Fort Portal was named after British diplomat Sir Gerald Portal , as it was where his base was. Fort Portal in Kabarole District is located approximately 296 kilometres (184 mi) by road, west of Kampala , Uganda's capital and largest city, on an all- tarmac two-lane highway. The geographical coordinates of Fort Portal City are 0°39'16.0"N, 30°16'28.0"E (Latitude: 0.654444; Longitude: 30.274444). Fort Portal

56-469: A form confederacy of several states united by a parliament called Muhabuzi, and a constitutional monarchy led by a trimviate that consisted of an empress dowager (Omu'Gabe'kati), a female ruler (Omu'Go), and a male ruler (Omu'Kama). The confederacy emerged from a single Songora state that dates back to the 12th century consisted of several provinces including Kisaka-Makara, Kitagwenda, Bugaya, Bunyaruguru and Kiyanja. According to their own oral history ,

84-478: A great import impact on the diet, health and appearance of the Songora. Age determines seniority in social relations, and men and women are considered equal. The Songora are generally monogamous. Traditionally the Songora were monotheistic. The Songora reacted to a tetanus epidermic in the 1880s by requiring everyone in the community to remove the four front lower teeth, as a means to force-feed medication to victims of

112-569: A mixed Nilotic / Bantu group in East and Central Africa , traditionally residing in the foothills and plains at the floor of the western arm of the Great Rift Valley and the hills around the base of the Rwenzori Mountain Range . The Songora traditional economy was largely based on cattle-rearing, as well as salt-manufacture and trade in iron. The political organization of the Songora was

140-588: Is named), Rutairuka, Makora, and Kaihura. During the post colonial era, beginning in the early 1960s, the Songora didn't formally have rulers recognized by the central governments in Uganda and Congo/ Zaire . However, there are several notable Songora personalities in various fields that have played a key role in maintaining the presence of the community. Among them are Timothy Bazarrabusa-an educationalist who served as Uganda's first High Commissioner to London, Amon Bazira , who served as Director of Intelligence, as Chair of

168-551: Is one of four regions in the country of Uganda . As of Uganda's 2014 census , the Western region's population was 8,874,862. As of 2010, the western Region contained four Political Subregions, From North to South; 1- Bunyoro Subregion 2- Rwenzori Subregion aka Greater Tooro 3- Ankole Subregion and 4- Kigezi Subregion As of 2024, the Western Region contained 3 cities and 34 districts : The Western Region borders with

196-458: Is situated at an average elevation of 1,523 metres (4,997 ft) above sea level. On 1 July 2020, Fort Portal was elevated from municipality to a "Tourism city" status. In 2019, in preparation for the award of city status, Ford Portal annexed several surrounding neighborhoods and sub-counties, including (a) Karago (b) Ibaale Parish (c) Burungu Parish (d) Karambi sub-county (e) Bukuku sub-county and (f) parts of Busoro sub-county. According to

224-784: The Democratic Republic of Congo in the west and the Northern tip of Rwanda as well as Tanzania in the South. It is home to the Banyakitara i.e Banyoro , Batooro , Babwisi , Songora people , Banyankore , Bakiga . And Bakonzo , Bamba , Bafumbira , e.t.c Songora people The colonial and neo-colonial governments in Central Africa instituted programs to encourage the Basongora to abandon their traditional lifestyle, and most of

252-466: The 2002 national census, the population of Fort Portal was about 41,000. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 46,300. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population at 47,100. In August 2014, the national population census put the population at 54,275. In 2020 UBOS estimated the mid-year population of the city as 60,800. The population agency calculated that the population of

280-468: The Basongora emerged from the ancient empires of Shenzi/Chwezi. The traditional homeland of the Basongora is the region centred in the foothills and plains that surround the Rutshuru and Rwenzori mountain ranges. Some of the most notable Songora monarchs include Kyomya Bwachali who died around 1850, and was the maternal grandfather of King Ntare V of Nkore kingdom. The last precolonial King of Busongora

308-421: The Basongora. This coincided with peak cotton production between 1987 and 1989 and it is in the same period that Basongora were displaced from their ancestral lands of Bukangara and Rweihingo. On 12 May 2012 Basongora revived their ancient kingdom that had been dismembered and abolished during the colonial occupation one hundred years prior. On 1 July 2012, the Songora installed Bwebale Ivan Rutakirwa Rwigi IV as

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336-608: The Congo did not return to the area until 1964 due to the strife caused by the Mulele rebellion there. In 1925, Parc Nationale des Virunga was created by the Belgian colonial authorities encompassing areas of the chiefdom of Kiyanja (of the Bamooli clan), Kakunda (now called Kyavinyonge), Rwemango, Makara, Kashansha and Bugaya among others and pressure to protect the adjoining ecosystem in Uganda led to

364-563: The Mubuku Irrigation Scheme. When the cotton industry plummeted in the 1970s, the general Ugandan public lost interest in cotton, thus giving the Basongora pastoralists a chance to resettle in vast plains of Nyakatonzi. When the NRM government introduced the decentralization policy, it was hijacked by the extremist fringe of the Bakonjo and was seen as an opportunity to displace and subjugate

392-566: The Rwamashonje family, the Rubuubi family, the Rwakashamba family, Yefesi Saiba, and Ananais Mulumba, Isimbwa Kiiza Kagoro Mayor Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council 2006 to 2016. Songora society is strongly pastoral. Cattle motifs form an important part of the language. Cattle have an important place in the imagination, poetry and art of the community. The disciplines required in the management of cattle have

420-750: The Security & Defence Parliamentary Committee, and as State Minister of Lands, Waters and Mineral resources in Uganda from 1981 to 1985, General James Kazini was commander of the Uganda People's Defence Force, Lt. Col. Jet Mwebaze a commander within the UPDF. Other notable Basongora include the Noble Sirasi Kisankara, the prophet Yombo Yowasi, the Rwabukurukuru family, Baguma Sam Twebaze, Wilson Isingoma, Boaz Kafuda, Prof. Mbabi-Katana, Enoch Rukidi, Kosia Mpazi,

448-625: The best soil and suitable climate for cotton growing was in the Bwengo area and other plains of the Busongora County in Kasese. Although some remained in the park – albeit illegally, thousands of others moved across the border with their herds into the Virunga National Park in the Congo. Between the 1940s and 1950s, the cotton growing enterprise lured particularly the Bakonjo from the highlands to

476-543: The city grew at an average rate of 2.12 percent annually between 2014 and 2020. Fort Portal is home to three hospitals. Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital , a 300-bed public hospital administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health is the largest. The next-largest is Holy Family Virika Hospital , a private hospital with a bed capacity of 155, owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal . The smallest of

504-581: The city is the main campus of Uganda Pentecostal University , a private university affiliated with the Pentecostal Movement . A new university, the Fins Medical University , was established in the city in 2018. St. Mary's Minor Seminary, a Catholic secondary school for prospective Catholic priests, is also located in Fort Portal. Western Region, Uganda The Western Region of Uganda

532-400: The disease. When the epidermic ended, many Songora continued with the teeth removal even though it was no longer necessary in the era of syringes and other means of treatment. In recent decades the traditional Songora territory has yielded interesting artefacts that are of great value to general human history. The Ishango Bone is one of the items that was found in Songora territory. While

560-404: The early rulers. List of Busongora rulers: Other notable figures in ancient Songora history include at least two empresses; Nyakahuma, and Kitami rwa Nyawera . The Queen Kiboga of Nkore was a Songora. She was also mother to Nkore's King Ntare V , and sister to King Kaihura of the Songora. Princess Kantunguru of Nkore was also a Songora and has a town named after her in western Uganda. Many of

588-515: The establishment of game reserves around Lake George (Known as Rweishamba by Basongora) and Lake Edward (locally known as Rweru) between 1906 and 1950. Several name changes followed and Kazinga National Park was gazetted in 1952 and in 1954 it was renamed Queen Elizabeth National Park by the colonial administration. This left only limited land for the pastoral Basongora. In 1940s the colonial government introduced cotton growing in Busongora. By coincidence,

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616-591: The hospitals is the 100-bed Kabarole Missionary Hospital , a community hospital administered by the Church of Uganda , originally founded by John Edward Church of the Church Mission Society. The city houses three institutions of higher learning. The main campus of Mountains of the Moon University , previously a private university, but now a public university, is located in the city center. Also located within

644-494: The king of "BuSongora Kingdom", and claimed twenty sub-counties of Uganda as their territory. The sub-counties include: Muhokya, Bugoye, Nyakatonzi, Katwe, Karusandara, Mubuku, Ibuga, Hamukungu, Kasenyi, Busunga, and Katunguru, among others. The kingdom also claimed their ancestral areas of Shema, Bunyaruguru and Kitagwenda in Uganda, as well as Virunga National Park in the Congo, as part of the kingdom. King Rwigi IV died on 28 April 2015. NB: The dates are approximate for most of

672-474: The later part of the 20th century on the territory of Busongora. In 1931 there was an outbreak of rinderpest that decimated the cattle populations of the Nyakatonzi Basongora, forcing them to disperse to other areas of Uganda and the eastern Congo. Basongora believe the outbreak began as a result of a virulent drugs vaccination program started by the colonial government. The biggest group that fled to

700-536: The lowlands. By 1962, the Rwenzururu Freedom Movement had also displaced some Bakonjo from the mountains, forcing them to settle in parts of Busongora that had not been gazetted as protected areas. In 1962 Basongora started returning to their original areas only to find that the Toro Development Company (TDC) that wound up in 1970, had leased some of their land, and was running projects such as

728-403: The rulers of states of Rwanda , Mpororo , Bunyoro , Toro and Nkore chose their wives from among the Songora. Other notable Songora kings in the pre-colonial era include: Kyomya III father of the founder of Bunyoro - Rukidi Mpuga; Bulemu I Rushoita, Rwigi II Kyeramaino Rweshakaramyambi, Nyabongo II Kikundi Nyakwirigita, Ihiingo, Goro, Nyabongo I, Kasheshe (for whom the municipality/city of Kasese

756-520: The territory traditionally owned by the Songora community has been appropriated for use as national parks or has been settled and occupied by other communities, notably the Batoro and Bakonzo . Also Songora territory has been partitioned into several districts and is distributed across Uganda and Congo. The traditional lifestyle of the Basongora is notable for its adaptation to dry savanna and scrublands , as well as mountainous terrain. The Basongora are

784-576: Was King Kasigano . He was deposed in 1906 by the British, ostensively for his having sought to ally himself with the Belgians in the Congo. Busongora was then partitioned and divided between the Congo and Uganda Protectorate , and the portions that fell within Uganda were further sub-divided into several districts, all of which were then annexed to the kingdoms of Toro and Nkore. The Kingdom of Rwenzururu formed in

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