Kyaka | |
|---|---|
  Kyaka Location in Tanzania | |
| Coordinates: 01°15′13″S31°25′12″E / 1.25361°S 31.42000°E | |
| Country |  Tanzania |
| Region | Kagera Region |
| District | Missenyi District |
| Population (2015 Estimate) | |
| • Total | 6,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (East Africa Time) |
| Climate | Aw |
Kyaka is a town in Tanzania. It is an urban centre in Missenyi District, Kagera Region. [1] The population of Kyaka was estimated at 6,000 people in 2015. [2]
Kyaka is located in Missenyi District, in Kagera Region, in northwestern Tanzania, on the southern banks of the Kagera River. This is approximately 53 kilometres (33 mi), by road, west of the city of Bukoba, where the Regional headquarters are located. [3] Kyaka is approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi), by road, south of the town of Mutukula, Tanzania at the international border with Uganda. [4] The geographical coordinates of Kyaka are:01°15'13.0"S, 31°25'12.0"E (Latitude:-1.253611; Longitude:31.420000). [1] Kyaka sits at an average elevation of 1,180 metres (3,871 ft) above sea level. [5]
The Kyaka Bridge, sometimes referred to as Kagera Bridge, spans the Kagera River at Kyaka. At Kyaka, two major road systems intersect. Highway B8 (Mutukula–Bukoba Road) meets Highway B182 (Omurushaka–Kyaka Road). [1] [6]
In October 1978, about 3,000 Uganda Army troops loyal to dictator Idi Amin invaded Tanzania, starting with aerial bombings. After overwhelming the weak Tanzanian border defenses, the Ugandans occupied the area north of Kagera River, called the Kagera Salient, claiming it was Ugandan territory. They blew up the Kyaka Bridge and destroyed a lot of property. [7]
As result of the invasion, the Uganda–Tanzania War erupted; the Ugandans were mostly expelled by the Tanzania People's Defence Force from the Kagera Salient in November 1978. [7] Following the conclusion of the war, the Tanzanian Government increased the strength of its police station in Kyaka to better ensure border security. [8]
Kagera Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of 35,686 km2 (13,778 sq mi). The region is comparable in size to the land area of the Netherlands. Kagera Region is bordered to the east by Lake Victoria, Mwanza Region and Mara Region. The region is bordered to the south by Geita Region and Kigoma Region. Lastly, Kagera borders Rwanda to the west, Uganda to the north and Burundi to the south west. The regional capital city is Bukoba. According to the 2022 national census, the region had 2,989,299, and 2012 the region had a population of 2,458,023.
Rakai District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Rakai is the site of the district's headquarters.
The Uganda–Tanzania War, known in Tanzania as the Kagera War and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War, was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979 and led to the overthrow of Ugandan President Idi Amin. The war was preceded by a deterioration of relations between Uganda and Tanzania following Amin's 1971 overthrow of President Milton Obote, who was close to the President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere. Over the following years, Amin's regime was destabilised by violent purges, economic problems, and dissatisfaction in the Uganda Army.
Mutukula, sometimes spelled as Mtukula, is a small town in Missenyi District, Kagera Region, in northwestern Tanzania, at the border with Uganda. Formerly, the settlement on the border was known as Kyebisagazi, and Mutukula was a kilometre to the south on the east side of the Masaka-Bukoba Road (B8).
Kikagati is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It sits across the Kagera River from the town of Murongo, in the Kagera Region of Tanzania.
Missenyi District is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. The district was created in 2007, separating from Bukoba District. It is bordered to the north by Uganda, to the east by Bukoba Rural District, to the south by Karagwe District and to the west by Kyerwa District.
Masaka–Mutukula Road is a road in the Central Region of Uganda, connecting the town of Masaka, in Masaka District, to the border town of Mutukula in Rakai District.
The Masaka–Mutukula–Mwanza High Voltage Power Line is a proposed high voltage electricity power line, connecting the high voltage substation at Masaka, in Masaka District, in the Central Region of Uganda, to another high voltage substation at Mwanza, in Mwanza Region, in the Republic of Tanzania.
Rusumo is a town in northwestern Tanzania, at the border with Rwanda. It sits across the Kagera River from Rusumo, Rwanda.
David Bugozi Musuguri is a Tanzanian soldier and retired military officer who served as Chief of the Tanzania People's Defence Force from 1980 until 1988.
Juma Ali Oka Rokoni, commonly referred to as Juma Butabika, was a Ugandan military officer who served as Uganda Army (UA) top commander during the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Despite being notorious for his erratic behavior and abuse of power, he was highly influential, held important army commands, and served as long-time chairman of the Ugandan Military Tribunal, a military court used by Amin to try and eliminate political dissidents and rivals. By commanding an unauthorised attack on Tanzania in October 1978, Butabika was responsible for the outbreak of the Uganda–Tanzania War which ultimately resulted in his death in combat, probably during or shortly before the Fall of Kampala.
The Battle of Masaka was a battle of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place from 23 February to 24 February 1979 in the town of Masaka, Uganda. Following an artillery bombardment, most of the Ugandan government forces fled and Tanzanian and Ugandan rebel forces captured the town.
In October 1978 Uganda invaded the Kagera Salient in northern Tanzania, initiating the Uganda–Tanzania War. The Ugandans met light resistance and in November President Idi Amin of Uganda announced the annexation of all Tanzanian land north of the Kagera River. The Tanzanians organised a counter-offensive later in November and successfully ejected the Ugandan forces from their country.
Silas Paul Mayunga was a Tanzanian military officer and diplomat.
The Battle of Mutukula took place from 21 to 22 January 1979 near and in the town of Mutukula, Uganda, during the Uganda–Tanzania War. After repulsing a Ugandan invasion of the Kagera Salient in 1978, Tanzanian commanders feared that Ugandan forces stationed upon the high ground in Mutukula, a town located along the Tanzania–Uganda border, still posed a threat to their territory. On the night of 21 January 1979 the Tanzanian 208th Brigade crossed the border and surrounded the town. The following morning it attacked, and the Ugandan garrison—including the Gondo and Suicide Battalions—fled. Afterwards the Tanzanians razed the locale in revenge for the damage wrought by the Ugandans in Kagera.
The Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978–79 included an air campaign, as the air forces of Uganda and Tanzania battled for air superiority and launched bombing raids. In general, the conflict was focused on air-to-ground attacks and ground-based anti-aircraft fire; only one dogfight is known to have occurred.
The Battle of Simba Hills or Battle of Kakuuto was a conflict of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place over several days in mid-February 1979 around the Simba Hills in southern Uganda, near the town of Kakuuto. Tanzanian troops advanced over the Ugandan border and assaulted the Ugandans' positions, forcing them to retreat.
The Battle of Gayaza Hills or the Battle of Kajurungusi was a conflict of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place in late February 1979 around the Gayaza Hills and Lake Nakivale in southern Uganda, near the town of Gayaza. Tanzanian troops attacked the Ugandan positions in the hills, and though they suffered heavy casualties in an ambush, they successfully captured the area by the end of the day.
Kobero–Bugene–Mutukula–Kikagati Road, also Burundi–Tanzania–Uganda Road, is a road in the Kagera Region of Tanzania. The road connects the border towns of Mutukula and Kikagati in Uganda, to the border town of Kobero, in Burundi. The road allows direct access between Uganda and Burundi, promoting exchange of goods and passengers, avoiding routes through Rwanda, where free movement of Ugandan goods and passengers are restricted, since February 2019.
Kagera Sugar Limited (KSL), is a sugar manufacturer in Tanzania. As of 2019 Kagera Sugar was the third largest producer of sugar in the country, accounting for 17 percent market share.