Mbale is a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of

Mbale District Mbale District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after the largest city in the district, Mbale, which also serves as the main administrative and commercial center in the sub-region. Location Mbale District is bordered by Sironko Dis ...

and the surrounding sub-region.

Location

Mbale is approximately , by road, 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 ...

, Uganda's capital and oldest city, on an all weather

tarmac Tarmac may refer to: Engineered surfaces * Tarmacadam, a mainly historical tar-based material for macadamising road surfaces, patented in 1902 * Asphalt concrete, a macadamising material using asphalt instead of tar which has largely superseded tar ...

highway. The city lies at an average elevation of above sea level. The coordinates of the city are 1°04'50.0"N, 34°10'30.0"E (Latitude:1.080556; Longitude:34.175000). The city also lies on the railway from

Tororo Tororo is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Tororo District. History Tororo was garrisoned by the Uganda Army's Air and Sea Battalion during the Uganda–Tanzania War ...

Pakwach Pakwach is a town in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the main commercial, political and administrative center of Pakwach District. Location Pakwach is in Pakwach District, West Nile sub-region. It is approximately , by road, east of Nebbi, ...

Mount Elgon Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda.

, one of the highest peaks 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*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historica ...

, is approximately , north-east of Mbale, by road.

Population

According to the 2002 national census, the population of Mbale was about 71,130. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 81,900. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 91,800. In 2014, the national population census put the population at 96,189.

Twinning

Mbale was formally linked with the town of ,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

through local and regional twinning ceremonies in 2005. The link was intended to associate professionals and organizations in with their counterparts in Africa, under the auspices of the charity known as the Partnerships Overseas Networking Trust.

Points of interest

The following points of interest lie within the city limits or close to its borders:

Administrative

* The headquarters of Mbale District Administration * The offices of Mbale City Council

Public facilities

* Mbale central market * Mbale Municipal Stadium

Military

* The headquarters of the 3rd Division of the

Uganda People's Defense Force The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000– ...

Health facilities

Mbale Regional Referral Hospital Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, commonly known as Mbale Hospital is a hospital in Mbale, Eastern Uganda. It is the referral hospital for the districts of Busia, Budaka, Kibuku, Kapchorwa, Bukwa, Butaleja, Manafwa, Mbale, Pallisa, Sironk ...

- a 400-bed public hospital administered by the

Uganda Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health is a cabinet-level government ministry of Uganda. It is responsible for planning, delivering, and maintaining an efficient and effective healthcare delivery system, including preventive, curative, and rehabilitative service ...

CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda (CCHU) is a specialized children's neurosurgery hospital in Uganda. It is a private hospital, owned and operated by CURE International. The hospital is also a teaching center in pediatric neurosurgery for Sub-Sah ...

- a 42-bed private neurosurgery hospital, owned and administered by

CURE International CURE International (also known as CURE, formerly Crippled Children's United Rehabilitation Effort or CCURE or C²URE) is a Christian nonprofit organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. CURE's efforts are focused on providing medical care to ...

Educational institutions

* Uganda Christian University College - Headquartered at Mukono UCU formerly Bishop Tucker Theological College *

Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences The Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences (BUFHS), also known as the Busitema University Medical School (BUMS) and the Busitema University School of Medicine (BUSM), is the school of medicine of Busitema University, one of Uganda's public ...

- the medical school of Busitema University, a public institution of higher education * The main campus of the Islamic University in Uganda * The Mbale Campus of Uganda Martyrs University - a private university, whose headquarters are located in Nkozi, Mpigi District *

LivingStone International University LivingStone International University (LIU) is a private university in Uganda near Mbale town. It is overseen by a board of directors composed of Christians from both Uganda and U.S. The university is non-denominational with no denomination oversi ...

- a private university affiliated with the fellowship of Christian Churches and

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the '' sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. ...

* Mbale School of Clinical Officers

Financial institutions

Absa Bank Uganda Limited Absa Bank Uganda Limited, formerly known as Barclays Bank of Uganda Limited, is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. The bank is a subsidiary of Absa Group Limited, a ...

* Bank of Africa Uganda Limited * Mbale Currency Center *

Centenary Bank Centenary Bank is a commercial bank in Uganda licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. History The bank was founded in 1983 as a credit trust, Centenary Rural Development Trust (CRDT), by Simeon Lutaa ...

DFCU Bank DFCU Bank, registered as the Development Finance Company of Uganda Bank Limited, is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is licensed by the Bank of Uganda (BoU), Uganda's central bank and national banking regulator. Overview As of December 2021, DFC ...

* Diamond Trust Bank (Uganda) * Equity Bank Uganda Limited *

Finance Trust Bank Finance Trust Bank (FTB), commonly called Finance Trust, is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. Location The headquarters of FTB are located on Plot 121 & 115, B ...

Housing Finance Bank Housing Finance Bank (HFB) is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is one of the commercial banks licensed by Bank of Uganda, the national banking regulator. Overview HFB is a full service retail bank that is primarily involved in Mortgage loan, mor ...

* KCB Bank Uganda Limited * National Social Security Fund * PostBank Uganda * Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited

City status

In 2019 the

Cabinet of Uganda There are 32 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State in the Cabinet of Uganda (2021 to 2026). According to Section 111 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, as amended in 2005, "There shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, ...

, resolved to award Mbale, city status effective July 2021. In November of the same year, Cabinet revised the date of city status to 1 July 2020.

Notable people

John Wasikye John Alfred Wasikye was an Anglican bishop in Uganda. Wasikye was educated at Buwalasi Theological College. He was ordained deacon in 1954 and priest in 1956. He served in the diocese until 1961 and in Mbale from 1961. He was Archdeacon of Bugis ...

: Anglican Bishop, was Murdered After Liberation of Kampala, April 11, 1979 *

James Wapakhabulo James Francis Wambogo Wapakhabulo (23 March 1945 – 27 March 2004) was a Ugandan politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda from 2001 to 2004. Background Wapakhabulo began his career studying law at the University of Ea ...

: Politician * Lydia Wanyoto: Lawyer, politician and diplomat. * Nathan Nandala Mafabi: Ugandan accountant, lawyer, and politician. He represents Budadiri County West in

Sironko District Sironko District is a district in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The district was created in 2000 and had previously been part of Mbale District. Sironko is the main commercial town in the district. Location Sironko District is bordered by Bul ...

in the

Parliament of Uganda The parliament of Uganda is the country's legislative body. Unicameral, the most significant of the Ugandan parliament's functions is to pass laws that will provide good governance in the country. The government ministers are bound to answer t ...

. From May 2011 until January 2014, he was the

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. * Walter de Sousa Field Hockey player for Indian hockey team. He was born in Mbale, Uganda and spent his early childhood here where his father was working under the colonial administration.

References

External links

About Mbale

Climbing Mount Elgon
{{coord, 01, 04, 50, N, 34, 10, 30, E, display=title Noun 1. a humble man of honor, respected towards others. 2. a plate 3. Helper, Giver or Flower Populated places in Eastern Region, Uganda Cities in the Great Rift Valley Jewish Ugandan history Mbale District Bugisu sub-region