Background Information

Kasese district is located along the Equator in the western region of Uganda. It borders the districts of Kabarole and Bundibugyo in the north, Lake George and Kamwenge in the east, Bushenyi and Lake Edward in the south and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west.

The Equator landmark in Kasese district.

The district has an approximate total area of 31,205 sq km that is covered by wetlands, water and a savannah type of vegetation. The district has a mountainous terrain in the north with flat plains in the south.

It receives an average rainfall ranging between 900-1600mm annually and two rain seasons that come between March to May and August to November. Temperatures normally range between 23.9ºc and 30.0ºc.

Our Vision
To have a poverty free society

Our Mission
To achieve sustainable socio-economic development through efficient provision of quality services to the people in conformity with national and local priorities"

Our Objectives

1. To identify and collect sufficient resources to ensure that service delivery standards are met.To identify and collect sufficient resources to ensure that service delivery standards are met.To provide quality education to all levelsTo provide adequate and accessible health services to the people of the DistrictTo avail quality community based services to all people of the District according to their needs. To ensure the provision of adequate and quality infrastructure in the District To ensure food security in the District and the effective marketing of agricultural products.To ensure effective management and sustainable utilisation of the natural resources
2. To strengthen the District capacity to deliver its mandate.

Land Area
Kasese District has a total surface area of 3,389.8 square kilometres, of which 2911.3 square kilometres (86 per cent) is dry land, 409.7 square kilometres (12 per cent) is open water and 68.8 square kilometres (2 per cent) is permanent swamp/wetland. About 63 per cent of the land area (1834.6 square kilometres) is occupied by nature and wildlife conservation schemes; and also other government projects such as prison farms, mining institutions and irrigation farming. The population density in Kasese is 183 persons per square kilometre (450 persons per square kilometre in the area actually occupied by people).

Administrative Units Kasese District has 24 lower Local Governments; of which 20 are rural sub counties and 4 are town councils. Plans are underway to elevate Kasese Town Council to a Municipality status. The district has two counties, 4 Parliamentary constituencies namely Bukonzo West, Bukonzo East, Busongora North, Busongora South and the District woman Representation, bringing the number of members of parliament to five.

Population The population of Kasese is estimated to be 646,677. Of this 51% (329,805) are females and 49% (316,872) are males. This population is projected from the population census of 2002 with a growth rate of 3.6%, where Kasese had 523,033 people, which was 2.1% of the Ugandan total population. With this population; there is an estimated 133,992 households with an average of 4.9 people per household.

Projected Population by County, sex, number of households and average household size

County	Population
	Household	Male	Female	Total	Av. household
Bukonzo	43138	129909	142893	272802	5.7
Busongora	55,701	150212	156558	306770	4.9

Source: 2002 National housing and population census

Elderly persons (60 years and above) ................18,417
People with Disabilities (PWDs).........................22,407of (F=10,927 or 49%, M=11,480 or 49%) are males.
Persons with physical disability constitute..........78.0% of all PWDs.

The district has an approximate total population of 530,000 people. Kasese is a multi-ethnic district with many people of different ethnic backgrounds. The main languages and ethnic groups that dominate the area are the Lukonja and Lutooro of the Bakonjo and Batooro people respectively.

But there are also other groups in the district who include the Banyankole, Basongora and Bakiga. There is also common usage of English, Swahili and Luganda.

Kasese district was formed in 1974 under the Provincial Administration of Rwenzori district that was curved out of Tooro. Prior to this, it was part of Toro kingdom that comprised the present districts of Bundibugyo, Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge and Kasese.

Like most districts in Uganda, Kasese district is predominantly agricultural, relying on farming for employment and income. The people keep livestock including cattle, goats, sheep and pigs.

The district also has industrial potential with two operational mining operations currently mining sulphur, copper and cobalt at Kilembe. There are a number of industries in the district, which have greatly contributed to the availability of employment to the population.

Although Lake Katwe Salt Project has taken long without bearing fruits, it has significantly contributed to the welfare of the local people involved in mining. Agricultural production is high owing to the rich soils and reliable rainfall. But lack of proper information about markets denies farmers the opportunity to sell their produce profitably.

The presence of a tarmac road linking Kasese to other districts like Kabarole and Bushenyi, however, enables the district to transport its produce to other parts of the country.

Most of the produce from Kasese gets markets in urban centres in the western and central regions of Uganda. Passion fruits for example are one of the main crops from Kasese sold in most urban areas throughout the country. Kasese’s position along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo encourages border trade.

Land tenure in the district is mostly customary and freehold and there is a high potential for agricultural mechanisation.

Water
The district is endowed with many water sources that include lakes, rivers and streams. Mountain Rwenzori is one of the major sources of water to the water bodies.

Rivers include Mubuku, Rwimi, Nyamba, Ssebore that harbours Mubuku Irrigation Scheme, Nyamugasani and River Lhubiriha that harbours Bwera Water Scheme at the Uganda-Congo border.

The Lakes include Lake George, Lake Edward and Lake Katwe, while the crater lakes on top of Mt. Rwenzori provide extra water.

Generally, the district is served by many safe water sources that include boreholes, protected wells and springs and piped water mostly in the urban areas.