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Kapchorwa shares borders with the districts of Mbale in the west and south, Nakapiripirit in the north and the Republic of Kenya in the east and south. It covers an area of 1,738 sq km. The main languages spoken in the district are Kupsabiny, Lumasaba, Kiswahili and English.Click here for more information about Bagishu people and their culture in Uganda WEATHER The district is characterized by the Mt. Elgon rainfall zone which is a westward extension of the conditions prevailing on the plateau and mountains of neighboring Kenya. The district’s climate is also affected by altitude. There are two wet seasons in the district and their duration varies from area to area depending on the altitude and topography. The annual rainfall ranges between 920mm to 1,650mm. Areas in the north tend to have drier and sometimes erratic conditions while it is wetter in the south-western areas. HEALTH Kapchorwa district has one hospital (Kapchorwa Hospital has a total of 64 beds), 27 health units, two health centers grade IV, 11 health centers grade III and 17 health centre grade II. The district has 598 villages, therefore it is still very under-developed in terms of health unit coverage. According to the district health inspector Mr Ekau Oluga, malaria remains top in the district disease burden. Others are respiratory tract infections, intestinal worms, malnutrition, eye diseases, trauma, ear diseases, diarrhea and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS. POPULATION OF KAPCHORWA DISTRICT With the population of 193,000 people, housing is improving year by year from grass thatched houses to corrugated iron sheets. The housing coverage is at 50%.The improvement of housing has been attributed to the improvement on feeder roads. People are now building along feeder roads and many are securing plots along the main roads. ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Agriculture is the main economic activity with emphasis on food crops like maize, wheat, beans, sunflower, groundnuts, yams, peas, Irish potatoes and finger millet. The cash crops include cotton, coffee and wheat. There are also vegetables like tomatoes, onions, cabbages as well as passion fruit. Land shortage, however, makes it hard to open large-scale commercial farms in most parts of Kapchorwa. Further, the mountainous terrain makes agricultural mechanization harder.Live stock farming is another economic activity with Cattle population of 64,738, 73,493 Goats, and 39,534 Sheep. Land and Vegetation : The District has limited area of open water bodies and 1.2 percent is wetland. A significant part of the district area is covered by Mount Elgon ranges. The lower areas comprise settlements and secondary vegetation, while thick low lying canopy forests cover the mid-height areas of the Elgon. Found at the higher attitudes are the unique temperate montane vegetation of heath and moorland, characteristic of the Elgon Mountain peaks. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN KAPCHORWA The key currently exploited and potential attractions are given below. 1. Mount Elgon National Park Mount Elgon National Park is found in both Uganda and Kenya. In Uganda, it is found in the districts of Kapchorwa and Mbale. The National Park is a gazetted international ecological conservation area, as a habitat to unique vegetation species. The Park is also home to a number of endangered animal species, including buffalos and cheeters which traverse the Mount Elgon ranges on both Uganda and Kenya sides. In addition, the Park is also habitat to bird species not found in other parts of Uganda. Thus the Park offers opportunity for mountain climbing, game and flora viewing. Better accessibility is offered via Kapkwata and the ‘forest exploration centre’ at Bumasola in Kapchorwa District, where mountain climbing expedition trails are well developed. Besides the wildlife, the Caldera found at the most top of the Elgon ranges is a key attraction of the Park. The Caldera remained as a depression on top of Mount Elgon after the volcanic activity. The depression is 8 kilometres in diameter and has a circumference of 40 Kilometres. Other attractions within the Caldera include Hot Springs, Crater lakes, the Swam Gorge with heavy population of wild game and scenic peaks rising up to 4321 Kilometres above sea level. 2. Sippi Falls The falls are found at Sippi, about 15 kilometres from Kapchorwa town, along the Mbale-Kapchorwa road. The falls are a key attraction for visitors to the district and of national significance. The site comprises four falls and the walk to the bottom of the falls is the main attraction. Cave exploration and community/nature walk are part of the product offered at Sippi. 3. Exploration Centre The Exploration centre is another important attraction for visitors to Kapchorwa. The centre is a facility designed for training local communities and visitors on ecological aspects and sustainable use of the Park’s resources. Some trails have been developed from the centre to important ecological and tourism points along the mountain ranges. The Centre also offers ample accommodation for visitors to the Park. 4. Pian Upe Game Reserve The Reserve is found in Nakapipirit district at the northern boundary of Kapchorwa district. The Reserve is habitat to significant numbers of game species due to the various rivers and green river valleys. The animals include buffalos, hynas, Dik-Dik, the Greater and Lesser Kudus. Others are: Topis, Zebras, Orex, Jackson Herte Beasts, Oribi and Ostriches. Occasionally, Kenyan Zebras also wander from Kenya through the Pian-Upe Reserve. There were plans by local operators/guides in Kapchorwa to resume game drives to the Reserve. 5. Community Activities Community large scale growing of wheat and maize; and subsistence growing of bananas and other crops are the important community activities. 6. Crafts and Souvenirs Industry There were no independent crafts and souvenirs shops in the District at the time of the survey. However, sale of crafts and souvenirs has potential in the District based on the significant amount of tourist traffic. 7. Hotel and Catering Industry The district had 16 accommodation business establishments with a capacity of 275 beds, at the time of the survey. The industry employed 99 people in the district. Sippi Falls Rest Camp was the most outstanding accommodation establishment in the district catering for a middle and upper class tourists. FACILITIES Kapchorwa is linked to the rest of the country by road. There is ample electricity to support industrial development. The district has a hospital and 25 health units.
OTHER UGANDAN DISTRICT BY PROVINCE
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