KAMWENGE DISTRICT TRAVEL INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION
Kamwenge district lies in the Ankole/Masaka cattle corridor famous for the long horned cattle. On the Northern side of Kamwenge lie the rocky, wild and rugged Mahyoro escarpments with the riverine forests on the slopes and uproar steep River Mpanga falls at the bottom elevated at 70 metres high.

The escarpments host a variety of flora and fauna such as the sycad birds, collubus monkeys, phoenix reclinata and kayanyasika tree species which are good for tourism.

POPULATION

The district has a population of 267,364 people i.e. 136,896 females and 130,468 males. District Population growth rate 3.3% per annum compared to the National average of 3.4% p.a.95% of the population is rural based, and 55% of this population is females.80% of the district economy is agro-based.

EDUCATION

The district has 140 government aided primary schools and seven government secondary schools. 11 secondary schools are private schools.

The enrolment in primary school stands at 69,318 while the number of teachers is 1,205. The teacher pupil ratio for Kamwenge is 1:57 and where as the classroom pupil ratio for Kamwenge is 1:74, the desk pupil ratio is 1:7

HEALTH

Kamwenge has two health sub-districts, each health centre IV now has a medical officer while other health units have staff ranging from clinical officers, nurses, and midwives.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The district road network is quite small but 14 roads have been upgraded to feeder roads status.

Facility/Service No
Total kilometres of feeder road 157
Total kilometres of main road (Trunk road) 45

Telephone Providers
• MTN Uganda
• Uganda Telecom

AGRICULTURE

Most of the people in Kamwenge engage in subsistence agriculture. A cross-section of people in the district is engaged in sizeable cultivation of maize crop beyond subsistence level.

Other food crops grown are bananas, beans finger millet, cassava, groundnuts, sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes. The cash crops include coffee in Kitagwenda and parts of Kibale County and cotton in Mahyoro sub-county.

There is a lot of cattle rearing in the sub-counties of Nkoma and Bwizi and Kitagwenda County too. The latter also accounts for a large proportion of improved livestock rearing and fish farming.

The Byabasambu seed multiplication centre carries out multiplication of high yielding crop seeds and animals at the moment. Demonstration in animal traction is also undertaken here. The centre’s training and hostel facilities are nearing completion.

New crops and technologies successfully introduced from Byabasambu in the district include among others: Upland rice in areas of Mahyoro
Improved banana species in areas of Kahunge, Kamwenge, Kicheche and Ntara, Mosaic andResistant cassava and demonstration in animal traction now popular in areas of Kamwenge, Kahunge and parts of Nkoma and Nyabbani.

The district now has over 200 animal traction units and maize production in those areas has greatly increased. There is a lot of indigenous cattle rearing in the sub-counties of Nkoma and Bwizi while Kitagwenda County accounts for a large proportion of improved livestock rearing. Generally, animals kept in the district are mainly indigenous. These include cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and chicken. For commercial value, cattle are a viable enterprise, followed by goats and pigs.

They are kept more or less on free-range basis. In order to improve on the current breeds, provision of better breeds such as boran bulls, Boer goats is essential.

Apiary
This is a new enterprise that is gaining popularity among peasant farmers. However, great potential exists in Kicheche, Kahunge Bwizi and Nkoma sub-counties where the lush vegetation provides enough nectar for honey production.

Author: Sandra Nans