Bukwo District | |
|---|---|
 The center of Bukwo Town | |
 District location in Uganda | |
| Coordinates:01°16′N34°44′E / 1.267°N 34.733°E /1.267; 34.733 | |
| Country |  Uganda |
| Region | Eastern Uganda |
| Sub-division | Sebei sub-region |
| Established | 1 July 2005 |
| Capital | Bukwo |
| Area | |
| • Land | 524.9 km2 (202.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2012 Estimate) | |
• Total | 73,400 |
| • Density | 139.8/km2 (362/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Website | bukwo |
Bukwo District is adistrict in theEastern Region ofUganda. The town ofBukwo is its main political, administrative, and commercial center and the site of the district headquarters. It was split off fromKapchorwa District in 2005.
Bukwo District is bordered byAmudat District to the north,Kenya to the east and south, andKween District to the west and northwest. The town of Bukwo is approximately 83 kilometres (52 mi), by road, northeast ofMbale the nearest large city[1] on the slopes ofMount Elgon. The coordinates of the district are 01 16N, 34 44E.[2]
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The district was created on 1 July 2005. Before then, Bukwo District was part ofKapchorwa District.[3] It was the former Kongasis county.
The district has many well-educated people, but many have left to find greater prosperity in the neighbouring country of Kenya.
Many of the district's roads are inaccessible or impassable. There is a widespread lack of electricity and telecommunication services throughout the district. The various Ugandan governments have not developed this part of the country, starting with the colonial governments in the early part of the 20th century, through theObote I,Idi Amin, Obote II, andNational Resistance Movement regimes.
Many of the inhabitants of Bukwo District live in abject poverty. The district is also plagued by persistent insecurity due to cattle raids and cattle rustling by ethnic groups fromKaramoja located in northeastern Uganda and theTurkana andPokot peoples from neighbouring Kenya. These challenges date to the 1950s and 1960s.
Most of the people from the northern part of the district have been internally displaced by cattle rustlers and have since not been resettled back in their original land. Some of these people opted to purchase land from areas that appeared secure while others who could not afford to purchase new land continue to exist as squatters on well-wishers' land.[4]
In 1991, the national population census estimated the district population at 30,700. The national census in 2002 estimated the population at 49,000, with an annual population growth rate of 4.2 percent. In 2012, the population was estimated at 73,400.[5]
In 2014 thepopulation projection of 2020 an estimate of 119.100
Peoples living in Bukwo District are theSebei /Kalenjin speakingKupsabiny language.
The district is made up of eleven sub-counties (Bukwo, Chepkwasta, Chesower, Kabei, Kamet, Kaptererwo, Kortek, Riwo, Senendet, Suam, and Tulel) and one town council (Bukwo).[3]
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Subsistence agriculture is the main economic activity in Bukwo District. Crops grown include the following:
Animal husbandry is practiced; the livestock domesticated are mainly cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys, hogs and chicken.
Capital:Bukwo | ||
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