Kayunga 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, subdivision ...

in Central Uganda. It is named after its chief town, Kayunga.

Geography

Kayunga District is bordered by

Amolatar District Amolatar District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like many other Ugandan districts, it is named after its main municipal and administrative centre, Amolatar Town. Location Amolatar District is bordered by Apac District to the north, Dokolo Di ...

to the north,

Buyende District Buyende District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after Buyende, the 'chief town' in the district and the location of the district headquarters. Location Buyende District is bordered by Amolatar District to the northwest, Kaberamaid ...

to the northeast,

Kamuli District Kamuli District is a district in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The town of Kamuli is the site of the district headquarters. Location Kamuli District is bordered by Buyende District to the north, Luuka District to the east, Jinja District t ...

to the east,

Jinja District Jinja District is a district in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The town of Jinja is the district's main municipal and commercial center. Location Jinja District is bordered by Kamuli District to the north, Luuka District to the east, Mayuge Dist ...

to the southeast,

Buikwe District Buikwe District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Buikwe, where the district headquarters are located. Location Buikwe District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Jinja District to t ...

to the south,

Mukono District Mukono is one of the districts in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Mukono is home to the district's main commercial center and district headquarters. Location Mukono District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Jinja Dist ...

to the southwest,

Luweero District Luweero District (also spelled as Luwero) is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. Luweero is the site of the district headquarters. Location Luweero District is bordered by Nakasongola District to the north, Kayunga District to the eas ...

to the west, and Nakasongola District to the northwest. District headquarters Kayunga lies approximately northeast 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 R ...

, on an all-weather tarmac highway.

Overview

Kayunga District was carved out of

in December 2000. The district consists of two counties, Bbaale County and Ntenjeru County. It covers .

Population

In 2012, the district population was estimated at about 358,700, up from 236,200 in 1991 and 294,600 in 2002. According to 2014 National Housing and Population census, the Kayunga population was about 368,064 with 181,920 (49%) males and 186,142 (51%) females. At that time the population density was 231 persons per sq. km. Members of over 75% of the tribes of Uganda reside in the district.

Economic activity

Agriculture is the main economic activity and represents 90% of total employment. Kayunga practices animal husbandry and crop husbandry, primarily as

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no ...

. Crops include: *

Vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus '' Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the plants produce the fruit from whic ...

Cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

* Matooke *

Pineapples The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centurie ...

Maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets a ...

Watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...

Passion fruit ''Passiflora edulis,'' commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to southern Brazil through Paraguay and northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy ...

,About 30% of the arable land of Kayunga district is used for commercial

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

, led by the Mehta and Madhvani families.These investors acquired large chunks of land leaving some residents landless. Media covered land wrangles that involve some members of district administration, politicians and locals.

History

In September 2009, Kayunga attempted to secede from the traditional Kingdom of

Buganda Buganda is a Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala. The 14 mi ...

. The King attempted to visit the district, but was banned by the Ugandan government, provoking riots in

. Thirty people were killed.

References

External links

Kayunga District PortalKayunga District Five Year Development PlanRural Initiative for Development and Empowerment
Kayunga District, Uganda {{Authority control Districts of Uganda Central Region, Uganda Lake Kyoga White Nile