Kitgum District is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Northern Uganda The Northern Region is one of four regions in the country of Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the region's population was . Districts As of 2010, the Northern Region had 30 districts A district is a type of administrative division tha ...

. It is named after its major town of

Kitgum Kitgum is a municipality in Kitgum District in the Northern Region of Uganda. The town is administered by Kitgum Municipality Council, an urban local government. It is the largest metropolitan area in the district and the site of the district ...

, where the district headquarters is located. It has suffered many deaths and social disruption resulting from the 20-year civil war within the region during the late 20th century. The government moved tens of thousands of residents to

internally displaced persons An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. ...

camps for their protection, where they were subject to raids by the rebels and also harsh conditions, including disease.

Location

Kitgum District is bordered by

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

to the north,

Kaabong District Kaabong District is a district in the Northern Region of Uganda. The district headquarters are in the town of Kaabong. Location Kaabong District is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest, Kenya to the northeast and the east, Moroto District t ...

to the east, Kotido District to the southeast,

Agago District The Agago District is a Ugandan district located in North east Uganda. Location Agago District is bordered by Kitgum District to the north, Kotido District to the northeast, Abim District to the east, Otuke District, to the south, and Pader ...

to the south,

Pader District Pader may refer to: People with the surname *Hilaire Pader (1607-1677), French painter and poet. Places * Pader District, a district of Uganda * Pader, Uganda, capital of Pader District * Pader (river), a river in Germany Organizations * PADER, ...

to the southwest and

Lamwo District Lamwo District is a district in the Northern Region of Uganda. The town of Lamwo is the site of the district headquarters. Location Lamwo District is bordered by South Sudan to the north, Kitgum District Kitgum District is a district in Nort ...

to the northwest.

, the largest town in the district, is located approximately , by road, northeast of

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The distance from Gulu to Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

, the largest city in the

sub-region A subregion is a part of a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south are commonly used to define a subregion. United Nations subregions The Statistics Division of the United Nations (UN) ...

. This location lies approximately , by road, north of Uganda's capital,

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 ...

Overview

The district is composed of one county: Chua County. In 2010, Lamwo County was separated from Kitgum District to form Lamwo District. Kitgum District is a constituent part of

Acholiland The Acholi people (also spelled Acoli) are a Nilotic ethnic group of Luo peoples (also spelled Lwo), found in Magwi County in South Sudan and Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland), including the districts of Agago, Amuru ...

, home to an estimated 1.1 million Acholi, according to the 2002 national census.

Population

In 1991, the Ugandan national population census estimated the district population at about 104,600. According to the national census of 2002, Kitgum District had a population of about 167,000, of whom 51.3% were females and 48.7% were males. The annual population growth rate of the district, between 2002 and 2012, was calculated at 4.1%. It is estimated that the population of the district in 2012, was approximately 247,800.

Economic activities

Agriculture is the main economic activity in the district. Crops grown include the following: Cattle ranching is practiced in some areas, although not widely.

Hepatitis epidemic

During late 2007 and early 2008, as many of the residents of the

Internally Displaced Persons An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. ...

( IDP) camps started to return to their home areas following peace talks, an outbreak of

Hepatitis E Hepatitis E is inflammation of the liver caused by infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Hepatitis E has mainly a fecal-oral transmission route that is similar to hepatitis A, although the viruses are unrel ...

engulfed the community, and soon spread to the entire district. As of August 2008, a total of 8,157 cases had been identified; 62% were female, while 38% were male. The case fatality ratio was 1.52%. Seventy two percent (72%) of the fatalities were female. The epidemic has been traced to unsanitary sources of drinking water. By July 2009, the number of infected persons had increased to 10,243, of whom 162 died; a case fatality ratio of 1.58%.

Notable people

Matthew Lukwiya Matthew Lukwiya (24 November 1957 – 5 December 2000) was a Ugandan physician and the supervisor of St. Mary's Hospital Lacor, outside of Gulu. He was at the forefront of the 2000 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Uganda until he died from th ...

, physician *

Janani Luwum Janani Jakaliya Luwum (c. 1922 – 17 February 1977) was the archbishop of the Church of Uganda from 1974 to 1977 and one of the most influential leaders of the modern church in Africa. He was arrested in February 1977 and died shortly after. A ...

, martyr. Anglican Archbishop of Uganda killed in 1977 during the conflict; born and buried in Mucwini village. * Sunday Omony,

plus-size model A plus-size model is an individual size 12 and above who is engaged primarily in Model (person), modeling plus-size clothing. Plus-size clothing worn by plus-size models is typically catering for and marketed to either Big & Tall or Tall or Overw ...

born in Kitgum District. *

Henry Oryem Okello Henry Oryem Okello is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the current State Minister for Foreign Affairs (International Affairs). He was appointed to that position in 2004. In the cabinet reshuffles of 1 June 2006, that of 16 February 2009 ...

, politician and lawyer

References

External links

American Pastor Kicked Out of Kitgum District
{{Authority control Acholi sub-region Districts of Uganda Northern Region, Uganda