Kasese

Kasese
Kasese Location in Uganda
Coordinates: 0°11′12″N30°05′17″E / 0.18667°N 30.08806°E / 0.18667; 30.08806
Country	Uganda
Region	Western Region
Sub-region	Rwenzururu region
District	Kasese District
Government
•  Mayor	chassy Kahindo
•  Member of Parliament	Hon. Kambale Ferigo
Elevation	3,000 ft (1,000 m)
Population  (2020 Estimate)
• Total	115,400
Climate	Aw

Street view of Kasese town showing roads and buildings in the western Uganda

Street view of Kasese town

Kasese is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the capital of Kasese District. Kasese is also the largest town in the Rwenzururu region. In 2020 it had an estimated population 115,400. It lies north of Lake George and east of Rwenzori Mountains. ^[1]

Location

Kasese is located approximately 380 kilometres (240 mi) west from Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-east of Mpondwe, a town at the international border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ^[2]

The coordinates of Kasese are 0°11'12.0"N, 30°05'17.0"E (Latitude:0.186667; Longitude:30.088050). ^[3]

Climate

Climate data for Kasese (1961–1990)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	30.6 (87.1)	31.1 (88.0)	30.8 (87.4)	29.8 (85.6)	29.3 (84.7)	29.6 (85.3)	29.4 (84.9)	29.6 (85.3)	29.8 (85.6)	29.3 (84.7)	28.7 (83.7)	29.0 (84.2)	29.8 (85.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	16.3 (61.3)	17.0 (62.6)	17.4 (63.3)	17.8 (64.0)	17.4 (63.3)	16.7 (62.1)	16.4 (61.5)	16.9 (62.4)	16.7 (62.1)	16.5 (61.7)	16.8 (62.2)	15.7 (60.3)	16.8 (62.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	27.9 (1.10)	37.8 (1.49)	83.9 (3.30)	130.1 (5.12)	100.2 (3.94)	45.8 (1.80)	36.7 (1.44)	67.5 (2.66)	87.9 (3.46)	115.7 (4.56)	104.2 (4.10)	62.3 (2.45)	900 (35.42)
Source: World Meteorological Organization [4]

Population

The national census of 1969 enumerated the population of Kasese Town at 7,213 people. In 1980, the population census that year put the population of the town at 9,917. In 1991, the national census numerated 18,750 inhabitants in Kasese. That population had increased to 85,697 people, according to the 2002 national census. On 27 August 2014, the census and national housing survey enumerated 101,065 people in Kasese Town Council. ^[5]

In 2020, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), estimated the mid-year population of the town at 115,400 inhabitants. UBOS calculated that the population of Kasese Municipality increased at an average rate of 2.3 percent annually, between 2014 and 2020. ^[5]

Population dynamics

Old Kasese Train Station

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1969	7,213	—
1980	9,917	+37.5%
1991	18,750	+89.1%
2002	85,697	+357.1%
2014	101,065	+17.9%
2020	115,400	+14.2%
source: [5]

During the 1990s Kasese Town was one of the fastest growing municipalities in Uganda. The reasons for this rapid population growth include: ^[6]

• Increased tourism - Kasese is the gateway to Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the most popular in Uganda, and the Rwenzori National Park. ^[7]
• Kilembe Mines employs a large number of workers; over 3,000 as of January 2015. ^{[8] [9]}
• Hima Cement Limited is another big employer located in Hima, approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi), by road, north of Kasese. ^[10]
• Increased trade with the eastern districts of the DRC. The border town of Mpondwe is only 60 kilometres (37 mi) south-west of Kasese. ^[2]

Industry

Kasese Cobalt Company Limited (KCCL), located on the road from Kasese to Rubirizi just south of the central business district of Kasese, extracts cobalt from the sludge left after copper is extracted from the raw ore. ^[8]

Points of interest

Kilembe Copper Mine

The following points of interest lie within the town or close to its edges:

• Seat of Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu
• headquarters of Kasese District
• offices of Kasese town council
• Kasese central market
• branch of the National Social Security Fund
• Hima Cement Limited
• Kasese Airport
• Kilembe Cobalt Company Limited
• Kilembe Mines - Extraction of copper. Maintains a private hospital and a 5-megawatt mini-hydropower plant, Mubuku I Power Station, that supplies the town of Kasese. ^[11]
• Kilembe Mines Hospital - A 200-bed community hospital administered by Kilembe Mines Limited. ^{[12] [13] [14]}

See also

• List of cities and towns in Uganda
• Kagando Hospital
• Railway stations in Uganda

References

1. "Home". KASESE DISTRICT. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
2. Google (18 August 2021). "Road Distance Between Kasese, Western Region, Uganda and Mpondwe Customs Police Station, Western Region, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
3. Google (18 August 2021). "Location of Kasese Municipal Council, Western Region, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
4. "World Weather Information Service". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
5. Uganda Bureau of Statistics (14 June 2020). "The population of all Ugandan cities and towns with more than 15,000 inhabitants according to census results and latest official projections". Citypopulation.de Quoting Uganda Bureau of Statistics . Retrieved 18 August 2021.
6. Alex Kwatampora Binego (10 January 2014). "Causes of River Nyamambwa floods". New Vision . Kampala. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
7. UWO (13 May 2016). "Rwenzori Mountains National Park: Tourism: "Kasese, 437 km west of Uganda's capital Kampala, is the gateway to the park"". Entebbe: Ugandawildlife.org (UWO). Archived from the original on 22 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
8. Mugira, Fredrick (31 January 2015). "Chinese consortium to revive Uganda's copper mines". China Africa Reporting. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
9. Khisa, Isaac (10 January 2015). "Copper production to resume at Kilembe". The EastAfrican . Nairobi. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
10. GFC (13 May 2016). "Distance between Kasese, Western Region, Uganda and Hima, Western Region, Uganda". Globefeed.com (GFC). Retrieved 13 May 2016.
11. Asiimwe, Wilson (7 June 2014). "Kilembe mines rehabilitation starts". New Vision . Retrieved 13 September 2015.
12. Enid Ninsiima, and Thembo Kahungu Misairi (13 September 2015). "Four killed as floods sweep Kilembe Mines hospital". Daily Monitor . Kampala. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
13. Thawite, John (4 June 2013). "Kilembe Hospital re-opens". New Vision . Kampala. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
14. John Thawite, and Taddeo Bwambale (8 May 2014). "Five perish as fresh floods hit Kasese". New Vision . Kampala. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

External links

• Kasese Leaders Question Omission from Elevated Cities As of 29 May 2019.
• Kasese municipality records major leap in revenue collections As of 22 May 2021.