Kasese is a town north of
Lake George in the
Western Region of
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
. It originally grew around the
copper mine
Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, loca ...
at
Kilembe, while attention later turned to
cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, p ...
mining. It is the chief town of
Kasese District
Kasese District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, the town of Kasese is the site of the district headquarters.
History
In September 2022, the district was hit by deadly landslides.
Location
Kasese District ...
, and the district headquarters are located there. Kasese is also the largest town in the
Rwenzururu region
Rwenzururu is a subnational kingdom in western Uganda, located in the Rwenzori Mountains on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The kingdom includes the districts of Bundibugyo, Kasese and Ntoroko. Rwenzururu is also the name ...
.
Charles Mumbere
Charles Wesley Mumbere, known by his royal title Irema-Ngoma I, is the king (known locally as the Omusinga) of the African kingdom of Rwenzururu, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Mumbere was arrested in December 2016 after the clashes in t ...
, the
Omusinga of Rwenzururu, maintains a palace in the town.
Location
Kasese is at the western end of the
Uganda Railway
The Uganda Railway was a metre-gauge railway system and former British state-owned railway company. The line linked the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. After a series of mergers and splits, the li ...
to
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 ...
and
Tororo and is home to
Kasese Airport
Kasese Airport is an airport in Uganda.
Location
The airport is located in the town of Kasese, Kasese District, in the Western Region of Uganda, at the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and close to the international border with the Democra ...
. The city is near the
Rwenzori Mountains
The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , and the range ...
and
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a national park in Uganda.
Location
Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) is in the Western Region of Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. The park is approximately by ...
. Kasese is locate approximately , by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.
This is about , by road, north-east of
Mpondwe
Mpondwe is a town in the Western Region of Uganda.
Location
Mpondwe is located in the Rwenzori Mountains in Kasese District. The town is at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bwera is another settlement to the immediate ...
, the border town at the international border between Uganda and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
(DRC).
The coordinates of Kasese are 0°11'12.0"N, 30°05'17.0"E (Latitude:0.186667; Longitude:30.088050).
Population
The national census of 1969 enumerated the population of Kasese Town at 7,213 people. In 1980, the census that year put the population of the town at 9,917. In 1991, the national census numerated 18,750 inhabitants in Kasese. That population had increased to 85,697 people, according to the 2002 national census. On 27 August 2014, the census and national housing survey enumerated 101,065 people in Kasese Town Council.
In 2020, the
Uganda Bureau of Statistics
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics ("UBOS") is an agency of the Ugandan government. Formed by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act, 1998, the agency is mandated to "coordinate, monitor and supervise Uganda's National Statistical System".
Locatio ...
(UBOS), estimated the mid-year population of the town at 115,400 inhabitants. UBOS calculated that the population of Kasese Municipality increased at an average rate of 2.3 percent annually, between 2014 and 2020.
Population dynamics
![Old Kasese Train Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Old_Kasese_Train_Station.jpg)
During the 1990s Kasese Town was one of the fastest growing municipalities in Uganda. The reasons for this rapid population growth include:
* Increased tourism - Kasese is the gateway to Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the most popular in Uganda, and the Rwenzori National Park.
* Kilembe Mines employs a large number of workers; over 3,000 as of January 2015.
*
Hima Cement Limited
Hima Cement Limited (HCL) is a cement manufacturer in Uganda. It is a subsidiary of the Holcim Group, a building materials manufacturer headquartered in Switzerland, with subsidiaries in over 80 countries.
Location
The main factories of HCL ar ...
is another big employer located in
Hima, approximately , by road, north of Kasese.
* Increased trade with the eastern districts of the DRC. The border town of
Mpondwe
Mpondwe is a town in the Western Region of Uganda.
Location
Mpondwe is located in the Rwenzori Mountains in Kasese District. The town is at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bwera is another settlement to the immediate ...
is only south-west of Kasese.
Industry
Kasese Cobalt Company Limited (KCCL), located on the road from Kasese to
Rubirizi
Rubirizi, sometimes spelled Rubiriizi, is a town in Rubirizi District, Ankole sub-region, Western Uganda. The town is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Rubirizi District. The district is named after the town.
Locat ...
just south of the central business district of Kasese, extracts cobalt from the sludge left after copper is extracted from the raw ore.
Points of interest
![Kilembe Copper Mine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Kilembe_Copper_Mine.jpg)
The following points of interest lie within the town or close to its edges:
* Seat of Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu
* headquarters of Kasese District
* offices of Kasese town council
* Kasese central market
* branch of the
National Social Security Fund
* Hima Cement Limited
*
Kasese Airport
Kasese Airport is an airport in Uganda.
Location
The airport is located in the town of Kasese, Kasese District, in the Western Region of Uganda, at the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and close to the international border with the Democra ...
* Kilembe Cobalt Company Limited
*
Kilembe Mines - Extraction of copper. Maintains a private hospital and a 5 megawatt mini-hydropower plant,
Mubuku I Power Station
Mubuku I Power Station is a mini-hydroelectric power station in Uganda.
Location
The power station is located between Bugoye and Kitoko, straddling the Mubuku River in Kasese District in Western Uganda. The station is in the foothills of the Rw ...
, that supplies the town of Kasese.
*
Kilembe Mines Hospital - A 200-bed community hospital administered by Kilembe Mines Limited.
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Uganda
*
Kagando Hospital
*
Railway stations in Uganda
Railway stations in Uganda include:
Towns served by rail
Existing
* Bungoma - last town in Kenya
* Malaba
** (border)
* Tororo - near Kenya border; junction for north line
* Main Line
* Iganga
* Jinja - bridge over Victoria Nile ; ...
References
External links
Kasese Leaders Question Omission from Elevated CitiesAs of 29 May 2019.
Kasese municipality records major leap in revenue collectionsAs of 22 May 2021.
{{Kasese District
.
Rwenzururu sub-region
Cities in the Great Rift Valley
Populated places in Western Region, Uganda