Kanungu District

Kanungu District
District
District location in Uganda
Coordinates: 00°57′S29°47′E / 0.950°S 29.783°E / -0.950; 29.783 Coordinates: 00°57′S29°47′E / 0.950°S 29.783°E / -0.950; 29.783
Country	Uganda
Region	Western Region
Sub-region	Kigezi sub-region
Capital	Kanungu
Area
• Total	1,274 km2 (492 sq mi)
Population  (2012 Estimate)
• Total	252,100
• Density	197.9/km2 (513/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)
Website	www.kanungu.go.ug

Kanungu District is a district in the Western Region of Uganda. The town of Kanungu is the site of the district headquarters. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Kanungu District is among the sites shown in aerial footage in the movie Black Panther. ^[1]

Location

Kanungu District is bordered by Rukungiri District to the north and east, Kabale District to the south-east, Kisoro District to the south-west, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The district headquarters are approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi), by road, north-west of Kabale, the largest town in the sub-region. ^[2] This location is approximately 420 kilometres (260 mi), by road, south-west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. ^[3] The central coordinates of the district are: 00°57'S, 29°47'E.

Overview

Kanungu District was created by the sixth Parliament of Uganda in July 2001. The district comprises two counties;Kinkiizi East and Kinkiizi west with the twelve sub-counties of Kihihi, Kambuga, Nyamirama, Rugyeyo, Rutenga, Kayonza, Mpungu, Kinaaba, Katetete, Nyakinoni, Nyanga, and Kanyantorogo, and the four town councils of Kanungu, Kihihi, Butogota, and Kambuga.

Mass murder and suicides were committed at several sites in the district by the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God cult in 2000.

The district has a distributed feeder road network and community access roads. There are three airstrips: Kayonza Tea Factory, Savannah Airstrip near Kihihi, and the Ishasha River Camp Airport in the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The charitable organisation CHIFCOD operates schools, colleges, and health centres in the district. ^[4]

Population

In 1991, the national population census estimated the district population at 160,700. The 2002 national census estimated the population at 204,700. The annual population growth rate for the district was calculated at 2.1 percent. It has been estimated that the population in 2012 was 252,100. ^[5]

The district is served by one district hospital, Kambuga Hospital located in the Kambuga Town Council. The Bwindi Community Hospital, operated by a non-governmental organization, is located at the outskirts of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The district has two Health Centre IVs, one located in Kanungu Town Council, Kanungu HCIV and the other one in Kihiihi Town Council Kihiihi HCIV, and ten government Health Centre IIIs at the sub-county level.

Religious affiliations

In September 2002, residents of the district self-reported their religious affiliations as follows: Christianity 95.3 percent, Islam 2.7 percent, Other 1.7 percent, and None 0.3 percent. ^[6]

Economic activities

Agriculture is the mainstay of the district's economy, as is the case with the majority of other Ugandan districts. The fertile soils and good climate allow for adequate produce for home consumption and surpluses that are sold. However, because of the remoteness of the district and the mountainous terrain, bringing the produce to market remains a challenge and a constraint to increased production.

Many people in the district keep livestock on a subsistence level, primarily for milk production. Milk is part of the local diet and is a requirement for almost every household. But few people keep cattle in large numbers since the people here are traditionally agriculturalists.

Crops grown in the district include:

• tobacco
• bananas
• matooke
• maize
• beans
• peas
• rice
• potatoes
• coffee
• tea
• sorghum
• cassava
• sweet potatoes

The Kayonza Tea Factory and the Kigezi Development Tea Factories, one in Butogota Town Council and the other in Rugyeyo Subcounty, purchase and process the tea grown locally. The CHIFCOD Coffee Factory supports 1,000 farmers, training them to create high-value produce then processing and exporting it. The high altitude and fertile soils allow production of temperate fruits like grapes, apples, and pears. ^[7]

The district also receives revenue from the tourism sector as a majority of the world's population of mountain gorillas are harboured in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The Kanungu Hydroelectric Power Station, which is just downstream of Bwindi, provides electricity to the Kanungu district.

Photo's

• Photo of Downtown Kanungu Town

See also

• Districts of Uganda

References

1. "How Ugandan production house was fooled by 'Black Panther' film crew". sQoop.co.ug. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
2. "Road Distance Between Kanungu And Kabale With Map". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
3. "Map Showing Kampala And Kanungu With Distance Marker". Gobefeed.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
4. Baryomunsi, Cris (30 March 2009). "Kanungu Now Has Electricity, Eagle Air". The Observer (Uganda) . Retrieved 21 May 2014.
5. "Estimated Populationlevelnungu District In 1991, 2002 & 2012". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
6. UBOS (2002). "Religious Affiliations Among Ugandans In 2002, By District" (PDF). Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
7. Businge, Gerald (27 March 2007). "The Beautiful Side of Kanungu". Ugpulse.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

External links

• Details about Kanungu District and the CHIFCOD Projects