KANUNGU DISTRICT TRAVEL INFORMATION

Kanungu district is located in south-western Uganda. It is bordering the districts of Rukungiri in the north, Kabale in southeast, Kisoro in the south and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west. The district comprises of one county with nine sub-counties and one Town Council, 50 parishes, four wards in the town council and 415 villages. It is a new district, having been created by the sixth parliament of the Republic of Uganda in July 2001.

WEATHER

Kanungu district has a tropical type of climate, receiving moderate and fairly well distributed annual rainfall of about 1,200mm. The district receives a bimodal type of rainfall from February to May and September to December; while the rest of the months are dry. Temperatures range from 15oC to 20 degrees C on average.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The district has a fairly distributed feeder road network and community access roads that facilitate transport within the district and beyond. There are two small airstrips at Kayonza Tea Factory and Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Hotels include Savanna Resort situated in Kihihi, a number of tourist camps in Bwindi and many smaller ones in Kanungu Town, Kihihi and Butogota trading centres.

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture provides the livelihood for the vast majority of Kanungu residents, with major staple food crops being bananas, sweet and Irish potatoes, rice, sorghum, beans and millet. The district also produces a number of cash crops including tobacco and tea.

There is a tea factory in Kayonza sub-county that produces tea for local, national and international markets. The tobacco grown in the district is primarily sold to British American Tobacco Uganda (BATU) which trains and facilitates farmers that grow the crop.

Silk production was only recently introduced. Mulberry has also been found to grow well but shortage of market has hampered expansion in production.

EDUCATION

Kanungu district also intends to reduce the illiteracy rate by encouraging functional Adult Literacy and support Universal Primary Education; provide improved hybrid seeds and animal; and safe drinking water.

Among the priorities to be addressed are Universal Primary Education (UPE), Primary Health Care, Provision of office accommodation, Maintenance of Feeder Roads, Agriculture Extension and Water and Sanitation.

Others are Adult Literacy Programmes, Promotion of Programmes for the Youth, Women and people with disabilities; widening the revenue base; Accountability and Transparency.

HEALTH

The district aims to deliver health services to all the people of Kanungu in affordable distances; link all commercial centres by road net to enable farmers sell their produce in order to raise household income.