Kapchorwa District

Kapchorwa District
—  District  —
District location in Uganda
Coordinates: 01°24′N 34°27′E
Country	Uganda
Region	Eastern Uganda
Sub-region	Sebei sub-region
Capital	Kapchorwa
Elevation	1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Population (2010 Estimate)
• Total	87,000
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
Website	Homepage

Kapchorwa District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after Kapchorwa, the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of the district, where the district headquarters are located.

Location

The district is bordered by Kween District to the north and east, Sironko District to the south and Bulambuli District to the east and northeast. The district headquarters at Kapchorwa, (which means "home of friends"), are located approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi), by road, northeast of Mbale, the nearest large city. The coordinates of the district are:01 24N, 34 27E.

Overview

Under the colonial administration, Kapchorwa District was Sebei County, located in North Bugisu in the now defunct Bukedi District. Kapchorwa was granted district status on 01 February 1962, shortly before Uganda became an independent country.

Kapchorwa District is home mostly to Kalenjin peoples, including the sub-groups: Sabiny, Pokot and Nandi. They were mainly cattle keepers in the late 1960s but a change was seen when their northern neighbors, the Karamojong, raided most of their cattle, and displaced hundreds of people. The populations most affected lived along the Kapchorwa plains; particularly in Ngenge Sub-County of Kapchorwa District and in Bukwa District. This displacement of the population, has resulted in abject poverty among the affected households. People have been forced to live in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, with very limited resources.

In 2005, Kongasis County was split off of the district to form Bukwa District. In 2010, more territory was peeled off to form Kween District. Together, Kapchorwa District, Bukwa District and Kween District form Sebei sub-region, home to an estimated 200,000 people in 2002, according to the national census conducted that year.

Population

The 2002 national census estimated the population of the district at about 74,300, with an annual population growth rate of about 2%. It is estimated that the population of Kapchorwa in 2010 had grown to about 87,000. See table below:

Kapchorwa District Population Trends

Year Estimated Population 2002 74,300 2003 75,800 2004 77,300 2005 78,800 2006 80,400 2007 82,100 2008 83,700 2009 85,400 2010 87,000 Economic activities Subsistence agriculture is the main economic activity in Kapchorwa District. Crops grown include: Millet Potatoes Beans Simsim Sunflower Cotton Coffee Wheat Tomatoes Cabbage Passion fruit Onions Animal husbandry is practiced, the livestock domesticated is mainly cattle, goats and chicken. External links Kapchorwa District Homepage Kapchorwa District Profile at Ugandatravelguide.com Cattle Rustling In The Great Lakes Region by Saul Chemonges Kasumbein See also Kapchorwa Sebei sub-region Eastern Region, Uganda Districts of Uganda References