Rakai is a town in the Central 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 site of the headquarters of

Rakai District Rakai District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Rakai is the site of the district's headquarters. Location Rakai District borders Lyantonde District to the northwest, Lwengo District to the north, Kyotera District to ...

. Other towns in the district include Kalisizo, Kyotera Kakuuto and Mutukula.

Location

The nearest town is Kyotera, in

Kyotera District Kyotera District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. Kyotera is the largest town in the district but the district headquarters are located at Kasaali, a suburb of Kyotera. Location The districts that surround Kyotera District inclu ...

, located approximately , north-east of Rakai Town. Rakai Town is about , by road, north-west of the international border with

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

at Mutukula. Rakai is located approximately , by road, south-west of

Masaka Masaka is a city in the Buganda Region of Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District. Location Masaka is approximately to the south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara. The city is close to the Equator ...

, the nearest large city. This is approximately , by road, south-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. The coordinates of Rakai Town are 0°42'36.0"S, 31°24'18.0"E (Latitude:-0.7100, Longitude:31.4050).

Population

The 2002 national census put the population of the town at about 5,920. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the mid-year population at 6,900. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 7,000. During the national population census conducted on 27 August 2014, the population was enumerated at 7,592. In 2015, UBOS estimated the population of Rakai Town at 7,500. In 2020, the population agency estimated the mid-year population of the town at 8,500. UBOS calculated the annual growth rate of the town's population to average 2.53 percent, between 2015 and 2020.

Overview

Rakai is the headquarters of Rakai District, which in the early 1980s, was the epicenter and first distinct in Uganda to be affected by the AIDS epidemic.

Points of interest

The following additional points of interest are located within the town limits or close to its edges: (a) the offices of Rakai Town Council. (b)

Rakai General Hospital Rakai General Hospital, also known as Rakai District Hospital and Rakai Hospital, is a hospital in the Central Region of Uganda. Location The hospital is located in the town of Rakai, in Rakai District, about southwest of Masaka Regional Referr ...

, a 100-bed public hospital administered by the Rakai District local government. (c) Kamuswaga's Palace. (d) the offices of Rakai District Headquarters. (e) Rakai Health Sciences Program, a collaboration between researchers at

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

, offering several different health services such as antiretroviral medications,

circumcision Circumcision is a surgical procedure, procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin ...

, health education, and counseling as well as research in the field of

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

Law enforcement

There is a police station in Rakai Town, administered and operated by the

Uganda Police Force The Uganda Police Force is the national police force of Uganda. The head of the force is called the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The current IGP is Martin Okoth Ochola. Ochola replaced former IGP, General Kale Kayihura in March 2018. Rec ...

References

External links

Rakai District HomepageSavers lose over sh2bn in Rakai, Sembabule SACCO fraud
{{coord, 00, 42, 36, S, 31, 24, 18, E, display=title Populated places in Central Region, Uganda Cities in the Great Rift Valley Rakai District