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

Bukwa District is bordered by Amudat District to the north, the Republic of Kenya to the east and south and Kween District to the west and northwest. Bukwa, where the district headquarters are located is approximately 83 kilometres (52 mi), by road, northeast of Mbale, the nearest large city.^[1] The coordinates of the district are:01 16N, 34 44E.

Overview

The district was created on 1 July 2005. Bukwa District was part of Kapchorwa District prior to July 2005. It was created out of Kongasis county. The district has many well-educated native sons and daughters, but many of these educated people have sought for greener pastures in the neighboring country of Kenya.

The district's roads are in the majority inaccessible or impassable. There is widespread lack of electricity and telecommunication services throughout the district. Subsequent Ugandan Governments have not developed this part of the country, starting with the colonial governments in the early part of the 20th century, through the Obote I, Idi Amin, Obote II and NRM regimes.

Many of the inhabitants of Bukwa District live in abject poverty. The district is also plagued by persistent insecurity due to cattle raids and cattle rustling by ethnic groups from Karamoja located in North Eastern Uganda and the Turkana and Pokot from neighboring Kenya. These challenges date as far back as 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.

Population

The national census in 2002 estimated the district population to be approximately 49,900, with an annual population growth rate of 2%. With those statistics, it is estimated that the population of the district in 2010 is approximately 58,300. See table below: