Mbarara District is a district in South Western Uganda. In 2019, the Ugandan Cabinet approved part of Mbarara District, the then-Mbarara municipality, to be upgraded to city status effective July 2020.
21-635: The Mbarara–Ntungamo–Kabale–Katuna Road in Western Uganda connects the city of Mbarara, in Mbarara District , with the towns of Ntungamo, Kabale and Katuna at the international border with the Republic of Rwanda . The road starts at Mbarara (pop. 195,238), the largest city in the Western Region of Uganda . It continues in a southwesterly direction through Ntungamo and Kabale to end at Katuna at
42-589: Is a national park located in Nyabushozi County , Kiruhura District in Uganda . Lake Mburo National Park is located in Kiruhura District in the Western Region of Uganda, about 30 km (19 mi) east of Mbarara and about 240 km (150 mi) by road west of Kampala . Lake Mburo was originally gazetted in 1933 as a controlled hunting area and upgraded to a game reserve in 1963. The region
63-449: Is bordered by Ibanda District to the north, Kiruhura District to the east, Isingiro District to the southeast, Rwampara District to the southwest, Sheema District to the west and Buhweju District to the northwest. The district headquarters at Mbarara , the largest city in the sub-region , are located approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi), by road, southwest of Kampala , Uganda's capital and largest city. The coordinates of
84-465: Is located about 40 kilometers south-east of Mbarara town. The lake's water body, sandy beaches and expansive open grounds make it an attractive spot to tourists. River Rwizi River Rwizi supplies both domestic and commercial water to Mbarara town. The river is also an important ecosystem and acts as a tourist site for safari tourists on their way to and from the south western part of Uganda. In Uganda, Mbarara district has consistently been rated among
105-473: Is subdivided into one municipal council, Mbarara Municipality , and 13 sub-counties, namely: 1. Kashari 2. Bubaare 3. Bukiro 4. Kagongi 5. Kakiika 6. Kashare 7. Rubaya 8. Rubindi 9. Rwanyamahembe 10. Biharwe 11. Kakoba 12. Kamukuzi 13. Nyamitanga. In 1991, the national census put the population of the district at about 267,500. The 2002 census estimated the district population at about 361,500, of which 51% were female and 49% were male. The estimated growth rate
126-470: The district are:00 36S, 30 36E. Mbarara District is part of the Ankole sub-region . The districts that comprise Ankole include: (a) Buhweju District (b) Bushenyi District (c) Ibanda District (d) Isingiro District (e) Kiruhura District (f) Mbarara District (g) Mitooma District (h) Ntungamo District (i) Rubirizi District , and (j) Sheema District . The area covered by the above districts constituted
147-609: The district. Crops grown include: The livestock raised in the district includes: The main tourist attractions in Mbarara District include the following: Lake Mburo National Park Lake Mburo National Park is located about 30 km east of Mbarara Town. The park size is approximately 370 km and was named after Lake Mburo which occupies about 20% of its total area. The park is home to zebras, impalas, elands, leopards, hippos, hyenas, Defassa waterbucks, buffaloes and about 350 bird species. Lake Nakivale Lake Nakivale
168-437: The gods; Ruroko is where the semi-mythical Bachwezi lived, and Kigarama was where the servants of the king used to stay. The park hosts zebra , hippopotamus , impala , warthog , common eland , African buffalo and over 300 bird species. Predators may include the lion , leopard , hyenas , genets , African civet , jackals and serval , and since 2015 there is a population of Rothschild's giraffe . The protected area
189-595: The international border with Rwanda, a distance of about 125 kilometres (78 mi) The coordinates of the road, immediately south of Ntungamo are:0°54'10.0"S, 30°15'14.0"E (Latitude:-0.902778; Longitude:30.253889). In December 2010, the European Union extended a grant of USh325 billion (approximately €116 million at that time), to improve the 125 kilometres (78 mi), stretch of the East African Northern Corridor , between Mbarara and Katuna. The road
210-451: The money this generates is being spent on community projects such as schools, health centres and roads rather than addressing individual challenges resulting from problem animals. The procurement of an excavator for habitat management, different wildfire regimes, fencing, translocating excess animals, wildlife ranching for the hunting industry, community tourism, licensing more sport hunting companies and increasing quotas may alleviate this;
231-577: The park are the changes in habitat occurring over time. Most areas which were formerly grassland in the park have changed into bushveld or forest as the invasive native shrubby tree species Acacia hockii has colonised these areas. The acacia in turn is protecting other bush and tree species, which are growing faster and thicker. This afforestation is forcing animals into the surrounding ranches and private land, causing them to be resented as pests . Uganda has tried to organise these areas into controlled hunting areas for sport , but land owners complain
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#1732875608354252-538: The same time, park management floated the idea of reintroducing lions to the park. The lion roaming the area eventually attacked and injured three people, causing a large crowd of the enraged community to hound the animal with stones and sticks. The Uganda Wildlife Authority made the decision to kill the animal, as the community was angry and the situation had become dangerous. It is thought to have migrated from Kagera Game Reserve in Tanzania . A problem facing grazers in
273-493: The second Obote regime fell and the previous residents of Lake Mburo re-occupied the park's land, expelling park staff, destroying infrastructure, and killing wildlife. Less than half of the park's original land area was eventually re-gazetted by the National Resistance Movement government in 1986. Within the park there are still culturally significant locations, such as Rubanga, where sacrifices were once made to
294-470: The top 20 districts in the improvement of community health. The district has attained a penta vaccine coverage of 86.4%, 66% deliveries of pregnant mothers in health units, a 1.3% out-patient department (OPD) per capita utilization, and a comprehensive HIV/AIDS service coverage of 85% with a prevalence rate of 7%, sanitation coverage of 97% and reduction in sanitation related diseases occurrence by 40%. Lake Mburo National Park Lake Mburo National Park
315-727: The traditional Ankole Kingdom . In 1967, Milton Obote abolished the traditional kingdoms in Uganda. When Yoweri Museveni re-established them in 1993, Ankole did not re-constitute itself. Mbarara district consists of one municipality ( Mbarara Municipality ), and nineteen rural sub-counties, organized into two counties. Mbarara District covers a land area of 1,778.4 square kilometres (686.6 sq mi), with an average elevation of about 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) above sea level. The district receives an average annual rainfall of 1,200 millimetres (47 in). Temperatures range between 17 °C (63 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). The district
336-405: Was about 2.2%. 55% of the district population was aged between 0 and 18 years. In 2012, the district population was estimated at approximately 445,600. As is the case with the majority of Ugandan districts, agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of Mbarara District. Both crops and livestock are raised in the district, primarily on a subsistence level, but several commercial farms are located in
357-451: Was considered a 'lion conservation unit' by the IUCN in 2005, despite lions no longer occurring here. Lions were eliminated by the indigenous people in the 1980s, but there were reports in early 2015 of a single lion roaming the areas of Miriti, Kashara, Warukiri and Rwonyo. Because this was considered problematic by the local residents, a solution offered was to translocate the lion to the zoo. At
378-472: Was designated in December 2011. Road works involve widening the roadway to 11 metres (36 ft). As of August 2016, Uganda National Roads Authority listed the road as an ongoing project. By May 2018, the last section of this road was reported as completed. 0°54′10″S 30°15′14″E / 0.90278°S 30.25389°E / -0.90278; 30.25389 Mbarara District Mbarara District
399-415: Was divided into two sections: (a) Mbarara-Ntungamo Section, was budgeted at UShs154 billion (€51 million) and (b) Ntungamo-Katuna Section was budgeted at UShs198.26 billion (€65 million). The Ugandan government was budgeted to contribute 8 percent of the grant value (approximately €9.28 million). The construction contract was awarded to Reynolds Construction Company of Switzerland , the lowest bidder. The work
420-614: Was intended, in part, to weaken the Banyankole, who supported anti-Obote rebels. It came at the time of the Operation Bonanza massacre of 300,000 people during the Ugandan Bush War . As the evicted pastoralists were not compensated for lost grazing land or assisted with resettling, many remained hostile to the upgrade. The rangeland outside the park was subsequently subdivided into small ranges and subsistence farming plots. In 1985,
441-470: Was settled by Banyankole Bahima pastoralists who traditionally herd Ankole cattle , and still do. The residents continued to graze their cattle in the reserve, a situation decried by western conservationists , who termed them "invaders" in 1981, but were expelled from their lands after it was upgraded to national park status in 1983, as hoped for by some in the West. The Obote government 's upgrade decision
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