Kapchorwa District
Encyclopedia
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.
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 (40.4 mi), by road, northeast of Mbale
, the nearest large city. The coordinates of the district are:01 24N, 34 27E.
, 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.
{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Kapchorwa District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |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
|-
|}
Animal husbandry is practiced, the livestock domesticated is mainly cattle
, goats and chicken
.
Districts of Uganda
Uganda is divided into 111 districts and one city across four administrative regions. Most districts are named after their main commercial and administrative towns....
in Eastern Uganda
Eastern Region, Uganda
Eastern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
. It is named after Kapchorwa
Kapchorwa
Kapchorwa is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, commercial and administrative center of Kapchorwa District. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of the district, where the district headquarters are located.
Location
The district is bordered by Kween DistrictKween District
Kween District is a district in Eastern Uganda. The district headquarters are located at Binyiny, one of the two municipalities in the district.-Location:...
to the north and east, Sironko District
Sironko District
Sironko District is a district in Eastern Uganda. The district was created in 2000 and had previously been part of Mbale District. Like most Ugandan districts, it is named after its main commercial town, Sironko.-Location:...
to the south and Bulambuli District
Bulambuli District
Bulambuli District is a district in Eastern Uganda. The district is named after 'chief town', Bulambuli, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the east and northeast. The district headquarters at Kapchorwa
Kapchorwa
Kapchorwa is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, commercial and administrative center of Kapchorwa District. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, (which means "home of friends"), are located approximately 65 kilometres (40.4 mi), by road, northeast of Mbale
Mbale
Mbale is a city in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municiplal, administrative and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, the nearest large city. The coordinates of the district are:01 24N, 34 27E.
Overview
Under the colonial administrationColonial Uganda
The British Protectorate of Uganda was a protectorate of the British Empire from 1894 to 1962. In 1893 the Imperial British East Africa Company transferred its administration rights of territory consisting mainly of Buganda Kingdom to the British Government...
, 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
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
became an independent country.
Kapchorwa District is home mostly to Kalenjin peoples, including the sub-groups: Sabiny, Pokot
Pokot
The Pokot people live in the West Pokot and Baringo Districts of Kenya and in eastern Karamoja in Uganda. They speak Pökoot, language of the Southern Nilotic language family...
and Nandi
Nandi people
The Nandi people are a number of Kenyan tribes living in the highland areas of the Nandi Hills in Rift Valley Province who speak the Nandi languages. They are a sub-group of the Kalenjin people....
. They were mainly cattle keepers in the late 1960s but a change was seen when their northern neighbors, the Karamojong
Karamojong
The Karamojong or Karimojong, are an ethnic group of agro-pastoral herders living mainly in the north-east of Uganda. Their language is also known as Karamojong or Karimojong, and is part of the Nilo-Saharan language group.-History:...
, 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
Bukwa District
Bukwa District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after its main political, administrative and commercial center, Bukwa, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
. 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
Bukwa District
Bukwa District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after its main political, administrative and commercial center, Bukwa, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
. In 2010, more territory was peeled off to form Kween District
Kween District
Kween District is a district in Eastern Uganda. The district headquarters are located at Binyiny, one of the two municipalities in the district.-Location:...
. Together, Kapchorwa District, Bukwa District and Kween District form Sebei sub-region
Sebei
Sebei is an ethnic group of Uganda and Sudan. They speak Sebei, a Nilotic language. Many members of this ethnic group live in Kapchorwa District of Uganda....
, 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:{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Kapchorwa District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |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:- MilletMilletThe millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
- Potatoes
- Beans
- SimsimSimsimSimsim may refer to:*Simsim, the word for sesame in various Semitic languages. Also widely used in Arab-influenced East Africa.*Simsim, Gaza, a depopulated Arab village in what is today Israel...
- SunflowerSunflowerSunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
- CottonCottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
- CoffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
- WheatWheatWheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
- Tomatoes
- CabbageCabbageCabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
- Passion fruit
- Onions
Animal husbandry is practiced, the livestock domesticated is mainly cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, goats and chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
.
External links
- Kapchorwa District Homepage
- Kapchorwa District Profile at Ugandatravelguide.com
- Cattle Rustling In The Great Lakes Region by Saul Chemonges Kasumbein
See also
- KapchorwaKapchorwaKapchorwa is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, commercial and administrative center of Kapchorwa District. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
- Sebei sub-regionSebeiSebei is an ethnic group of Uganda and Sudan. They speak Sebei, a Nilotic language. Many members of this ethnic group live in Kapchorwa District of Uganda....
- Eastern Region, UgandaEastern Region, UgandaEastern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
- Districts of UgandaDistricts of UgandaUganda is divided into 111 districts and one city across four administrative regions. Most districts are named after their main commercial and administrative towns....