Fort Portal or Kabarole is a city located in the Western Region of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. It is the seat of both

Kabarole District Kabarole District is a district in Western Uganda. Kabarole District is part of the Kingdom of Toro. Its main town was Fort Portal before 1st July 2020 when it was elevated to a city, separating it from Kabarole district Government. The new Kabar ...

and historically of the

Toro Kingdom Tooro is a Bantu kingdom located within the borders of Uganda. The current Omukama of Toro is King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV took to the throne of Tooro kingdom in 1995 at the age of just three ...

Location

Fort Portal in Kabarole District is located approximately by road, west of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, Uganda's capital and largest city, on an all-

tarmac Tarmac may refer to: Engineered surfaces * Tarmacadam, a mainly historical tar-based material for macadamising road surfaces, patented in 1902 * Asphalt concrete, a macadamising material using asphalt instead of tar which has largely superseded ta ...

two-lane highway. The geographical coordinates of Fort Portal City are 0°39'16.0"N, 30°16'28.0"E (Latitude:0.654444; Longitude:30.274444). Fort Portal is situated at an average elevation of above sea level.

City Status

On 1st July 2020, Fort Portal was elevated from municipality to a ''"Tourism city"'' status. In 2019, in preparation for the award of city status, Ford Portal annexed several surrounding neighborhoods and sub-counties, including (a) Karago (b) Ibaale Parish (c) Burungu Parish (d) Karambi sub-county (e) Bukuku sub-county and (f) parts of Busoro sub-county.

Population

According to the 2002 national census, the population of Fort Portal was about 41,000. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 46,300. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population at 47,100. In August 2014, the national population census put the population at 54,275. In 2020 UBOS estimated the mid-year population of the city as 60,800. The population agency calculated that the population of the city grew at an average rate of 2.12 percent annually between 2014 and 2020.

Healthcare

Fort Portal is home to three hospitals.

Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, commonly known as Fort Portal Hospital, sometimes referred to as Buhinga Hospital, is a hospital in the town of Fort Portal, in Fort Portal District, Western Uganda. It is the referral hospital for the dis ...

, a 300-bed public hospital administered by the

Uganda Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health is a cabinet-level government ministry of Uganda. It is responsible for planning, delivering, and maintaining an efficient and effective healthcare delivery system, including preventive, curative, and rehabilitative service ...

is the largest. The next-largest is Holy Family Virika Hospital, a private hospital with a bed capacity of 155, owned by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal ( la, Arcis Portal) is a diocese located in the city of Fort Portal in the Ecclesiastical province of Mbarara in Uganda. The Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal formerly belonging to Rwenzori Vicariate was ...

. The smallest of the hospitals is the 100-bed ''Kabarole Missionary Hospital'', a community hospital administered by the

Church of Uganda The Church of Uganda is a member province of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 37 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop. Each diocese is divided into archdeaconries, each headed by a senior priest known a ...

, originally founded by

John Edward Church John Edward Church (10 August 1899 29 September 1989), commonly referred to as Joe Church, was a British missionary who served with Church Mission Society (CMS). Dr. Joe Church served primarily in Rwanda and Uganda. He left England in 1927 and se ...

of the Church Mission Society.

Education

The city houses three institutions of higher learning. The main campus of

Mountains of the Moon University The Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), is a public university in Uganda. Founded as a private, non-profit institution, the university became a public institution following an executive directive in January 2018. It is named after the Rwenzor ...

, previously a private university, but now a public university, is located in the city center. Also located within the city is the main campus of

Uganda Pentecostal University Uganda Pentecostal University (UPU), is a private university in Uganda. Location The Uganda Pentecostal University is located in the heart of Kabarole District, Fort Portal City, Uganda. It originated from the Grotius School of Law and Professio ...

, a private university affiliated with the

Pentecostal Movement Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

. A new university, the

Fins Medical University The Fins Medical University (FMU) is a private university in Uganda, which offers undergraduate level training to healthcare workers from Uganda and neighboring countries. Location The university campus is located at 40 Riverside Road, in the ...

, was established in the city in 2018. St. Mary's Minor Seminary, a Catholic secondary school for prospective Catholic priests, is also located in Fort Portal.

Notable people

Beenie Gunter Baguma Crescent, popularly known as Beenie Gunter, is a Ugandan reggae dancehall artist, commonly known for his hit songs ''Pon Mi'' and ''Olina Work'', the latter, a collaboration with Nigerian artist Skales. He released his 25 track debut stud ...

: Dancehall artist *

Juliana Kanyomozi Juliana Kanyomozi is a musician actress and entertainer by occupation. Juliana Kanyomozi is a multiple award-winning Ugandan pop musician, an R&B and Afro Beat Singer well known among Western Uganda's decent musicians. Juliana was born Novembe ...

: Singer * Andrew Mwenda: journalist *

Edward Rugumayo Edward Bitanywaine Rugumayo (born 18 December 1934) is a Ugandan politician, diplomat, author, academic and environmentalist. He has previously served as cabinet minister in three Ugandan administrations. From 1979 until 1980, Rugumayo served as ...

: politician, diplomat, author, academic and environmentalist * Kayanja Muhanga:

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the UPDF. Commander of the Land Forces of the UPDF since October 2022. *

Nobel Mayombo Brigadier Nobel Mayombo, sometimes spelled Noble Mayombo, (1965–2007), was a Ugandan military officer, lawyer and legislator. Background He was born in Kabarole District, Toro sub-region, Western Uganda, in 1965. He belonged to the Babi ...

(1965–2007):

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in he UPDF, lawyer and legislator. * Margaret Blick Kigozi: Commonly known as Maggie Kigozi, is a Ugandan medical doctor, business consultant, educator, and sportswoman. She was born here in 1950. * Sylvia Rwabogo: Journalist and politician, who served as the District Woman Representative for Kabarole District, in the 10th Parliament (2016–2021),

References

External links

A peep into Fort Portal town Google Map of Fort Portal with Coordinates
{{Kabarole District Kabarole District Populated places in Western Region, Uganda Cities in the Great Rift Valley Toro sub-region