Mbarara City is a city in the Western Region of Uganda and the second largest city in Uganda after Kampala. The city is divided into 6 boroughs of Kakoba Division, Kamukuzi Division, Nyamitanga Division, Biharwe Division, Kakiika Division, Nyakayojo Division. It is the main commercial centre of most of south western districts of Uganda and the site of the district headquarters. [1] [2] In May 2019, the Uganda's cabinet granted Mbarara a city status, which started on 1 July 2020. [3]
Mbarara is an important transport hub, lying west of Masaka on the road to Kabale, near Lake Mburo National Park. This is about 270 kilometres (168 mi), by road, southwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and oldest city. [4] The coordinates of the Mbarara central business district are 00 36 48S, 30 39 30E (Latitude:-0.6132; Longitude:30.6582). [5] The city lies at an average elevation at about 1,147 metres (3,763 ft) above sea level. [6]
The city comprises 23 wards spread across 6 divisions and 2 constituencies.
| Mbarara City North | Mbarara City South |
|---|---|
| Kamukuzi | Kakoba |
| Ruharo | Nyamityobora |
| Kakoma | Katete |
| Nyarubanga | Ruti |
| Rwemigyina | Bugashe |
| Kakiika | Katojo |
| Kishasha | Kichwamba |
| Bunutsya | Nyarubungo II |
| Nyabuhama | Rukindo |
| Rwenjeru | Rwakishakizi |
| Biharwe East | |
| Nyakinengo | |
| Biharwe West | |
| Bubaare |
In 2002, the national census estimated the population of the town at 69,400. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 82,000 in 2010. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 83,700. [7] In August 2014, the national population census put the population at 195,013. [8]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 16,078 | — |
| 1980 | 23,255 | +44.6% |
| 1991 | 41,031 | +76.4% |
| 2002 | 69,363 | +69.1% |
| 2014 | 195,318 | +181.6% |
| 2020 | 221,300 | +13.3% |
| source: [9] | ||
Mbarara has tropical savanna climate (Aw). Between the driest and wettest months, the difference in precipitation is 94 mm | 4 inch. The variation in annual temperature is around 2.4 °C | 4.3 °F. The month with the highest relative humidity is November (76.93%). The month with the lowest relative humidity is July (53.76%). The month with the highest number of rainy days is October (22.37 days). The month with the lowest number of rainy days is July (3.67 days). Mbarara is in the middle and the summers are that easy to define.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.1 (80.8) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.2 (79.2) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25 (77) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.3 (79.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.6 (61.9) | 17.2 (63.0) | 17.1 (62.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 16.2 (61.2) | 16 (61) | 16 (61) | 16.2 (61.2) | 15.8 (60.4) | 16 (61) | 15.8 (60.4) | 16 (61) | 16.3 (61.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 39 (1.5) | 43 (1.7) | 74 (2.9) | 93 (3.7) | 72 (2.8) | 28 (1.1) | 15 (0.6) | 51 (2.0) | 74 (2.9) | 107 (4.2) | 109 (4.3) | 68 (2.7) | 773 (30.4) |
| Average rainy days | 7 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 128 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 10.2 | 10.3 | 9.7 | 8.9 | 9.1 | 10.0 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 9.8 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| Source 1: [10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: [10] | |||||||||||||
Mbarara came from behind and developed to surpass Entebbe, Masaka, Gulu, and Jinja. As of 2014, Mbarara was the second-largest city in Uganda after Kampala and also second to Kampala in importance, industry, and infrastructure. [11]
Starting with 2000, modern buildings have been established including malls, arcades, plaza, and hotels. Modern hospitals have also been constructed including Mbarara Hospital, which is now a Regional Referral Hospital, Mbarara Community Hospital, a private hospital located in Kyamugorani, Kakiika Division, [12] and Mayanja Memorial Hospital, located in Nyamityobora Kakoba Division. [13]
Mbarara is the home of Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST), founded in 1989.
With significance for all Ugandan cities, Mbarara was the host to the 2004 Annual General Meeting of the Uganda Local Governments Association on 1 October, which saw the changing of the organisation to its current structure in order to represent all Ugandan local governments. Mbarara remains an active member of this governmental association. [14]
Due to a rapidly expanding population, the current water supply from nearby River Rwizi is insufficient to meet the future needs of Mbarara City. [15] The Ugandan government has borrowed €120 million to source water from the Kagera River purify it and pump it to Mbarara, Masaka and Isingiro District. [16] [17]
As part of the modernisation of the Mbarara-Katuna Road (2011 - 2015), a new northern bypass road is planned for the town. The bypass will start from the Coca-Cola Plant on Mbarara-Masaka Road at Makenke, pass through Rwebishuri and Nkokonjeru and join the Mbarara-Kabale Road at Katatumba Resort, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of the central business district. The bypass is expected to decongest the city centre by taking the long-distance trucks destined for and coming from Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo off of Mbarara's city streets. The 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) road is expected to cost about €170 million (US$210 million), of which the European Union is expected to lend about €122 million (US$153 million) with the government funding the balance from its own resources. [18]
The following additional points of interest lie within the city limits or close to its edges:
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.
Lira is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial centre of Lira District.
Mbale is a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region.
Masindi is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is on the road between Kampala and the Murchison Falls National Park. It is the site of the headquarters of the Masindi District.
Masaka is a city in the Buganda Region in Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District.
Kayunga is a town in the Central Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Kayunga District.
Mpigi is a town in Mawokota County, Mpigi District, in Central Uganda. Mpigi is the municipal, administrative and commercial headquarters of Mpigi District. The district is named after the town.
Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) is a private University affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda. The University is owned by the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Bishops of Uganda. It is licensed by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education. UMU consists of seven Faculties, two Institute, six Campuses, nine Departments, and three schools. As of March 2022, total student enrollment is 4,632. Of these, about 1,500 students were residential, while nearly 3,000 students were enrolled in UMU's distance learning programs. The number of staff members was over 400.
King’s College Budo is a mixed, residential, secondary school in Central Uganda (Buganda).
Lyantonde is a town in the southern part of the Central Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Lyantonde District.
Kalisizo is a town in the southern part of the Central Region of Uganda. Although it is the leading commercial center in Kyotera District, the administrative headquarters of the district are in Kasaali.
FINCA Uganda Limited, also known as FINCA Uganda, is a microfinance deposit-accepting institution (MDI) in Uganda. It is licensed and regulated by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator.
Makenke is a neighborhood within Mbarara City, in the Western Region of Uganda.
Kakiika Division is one of the six administrative divisions that make up Mbarara Municipality in Uganda. The six divisions that make up Mbarara Municipality include, Kamukuzi Division, Nyamitanga Division, Kakoba Division, Biharwe Division, Kakiika Division and Nyakayojo Division.
The Mbarara Northern Bypass Road is a road that bypasses the northern part of Mbarara City.
Sanga, is an urban center in the Kiruhura District, Ankole sub-region, in the Western Region of Uganda.
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.
Kawanda–Birembo High Voltage Power Line is a high voltage electricity power line, under construction, connecting the high voltage substation at Kawanda, in Uganda to another high voltage substation at Birembo, in Rwanda.
Mayanja Memorial Hospital (MMH), is a private, not-for-profit hospital in Mbarara, the largest city in the Western Region of Uganda.
Masaka–Mbarara Water Supply and Sanitation Project (MMWSSP), is a water intake, purification, distribution and waste water collection and disposal system in the cities of Masaka and Mbarara in the Central Region and the Western Region of Uganda. The project is intended to meet the water supply and sanitation needs of approximately 1,055,000 by 2030. The work is to be carried out by the Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment through the parastatal utility company, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). Funding, have been provided by the French Development Agency and the European Union.
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