Kanungu District

Kanungu District
—  District  —
District location in Uganda
Coordinates: 00°57′S 29°47′E
Country	Uganda
Region	Western Uganda
Sub-region	Kigezi sub-region
Capital	Kanungu
Population (2010 Estimate)
• Total	239,800
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
Website	Homepage

Kanungu District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Kanungu, where the district headquarters are located.

Location

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

Overview

Kanungu District was created by the Sixth Parliament of the Republic of Uganda in July 2001. The district comprises one county with nine sub-counties and one Town Council. It is known for the mass murder/suicide committed by the town's 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 two small airstrips at Kayonza Tea Factory and in the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The charitable organisation, CHIFCOD, operates schools, colleges and health centres in the district.

Population

The 2002 national census estimated the population of the district at about 204,700. The annual population growth rate for the district was estimated at 2.0%. It is estimated that the population of Kanungu District in 2010 was approximately 239,800. See table below:

Kanungu District Population Trends

Year Estimated Population 2002 204,700 2003 208,800 2004 213,000 2005 217,200 2006 221,600 2007 226,000 2008 230,500 2009 235,100 2010 239,800 Religion Christianity : 95.3% Islam : 2.7% Other : 1.7% None : 0.3% Note: the category "Other" may include Orthodox Christianity and other Christians. Source: Uganda Bureau of Statistics (2002) Economic activities Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of the district, 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, due to 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 at Kihihi purchases and processes the tea grown locally. The high altitude and fertile soils allow the production of temperate fruits like grapes, apples and pears. External links Details about Kanungu District and the CHIFCOD Projects Photos Photo of downtown Kanungu Town See also Kanungu Kigezi sub-region Western Region, Uganda Districts of Uganda References