Paidha is a town in the Northern Region of

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

History

On 13 February 1965, Paidha and Goli were bombed by the

Congolese Air Force The Congolese Air Force () is the air branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo, in the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). Former Cold War air force After achieving independence from France in 1960, the Congolese air for ...

in retaliation for the support of the Ugandan government for Simba rebels. The attack caused minimal damage.

Geography

Paidha is in Zombo District,

West Nile sub-region West Nile sub-region, previously known as West Nile Province and West Nile District, is a sub-region in north-western Uganda, in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. Location The sub-region is bordered by the Democratic Republ ...

. The town is near the border with the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. It is approximately , by road, south of

Arua Arua is a city and commercial centre within the Arua District in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. Location Arua is approximately north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda, Arua is about , by road, west ...

, the largest city in the sub-region. This is approximately , by road, southwest of

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The city's distance from Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

, the largest city in the Northern Region of Uganda. Zombo, the town where the district headquarters are located, is approximately , by road, northwest of Paidha. The coordinates of Paidha are 2°25'00.0"N, 30°59'15.0"E (Latitude:2.416667; Longitude:30.987500).

Overview

Paidha is a busy border town in northwest Uganda at its border with the DRC. In 2013, it was the second-busiest border crossing between Uganda and the DRC, based on the volume of informal exports and imports.

Population

The 2002 national census estimated the population of Paidha at 24,079 and in 2010 the

Uganda Bureau of Statistics The Uganda Bureau of Statistics ("UBOS") is an agency of the Ugandan government. Formed by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act, 1998, the agency is mandated to "coordinate, monitor and supervise Uganda's National Statistical System". Locatio ...

, estimated the population of the town at 29,700. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population of Paidha at 30,500. In 2014, the population census put the population of the town at 33,426. In 2015, the population of the town was projected at 32,300. In 2020, Paidha's mid-year population was projected at 37,500. It was calculated that the population of the town increased at an average annual rate of 3.0 percent, between 2015 and 2020.

Points of interest

The following additional points of interest lie within the town limits or close to the edges of town: * The offices of Paidha Town Council * The international border between Uganda and the DRC is at Goli, about southeast of Paidha * Paidha Primary Teachers College, a public teacher training college administered by the Ministry of Education and Sports * Nyagak Power Station, a 3.5 megawatt hydropower station operated by

WENRECO West Nile Rural Electrification Company Limited (WENRECO) is an electric energy generating and distribution company in the West Nile sub-region of the Northern Region of Uganda. WENRECO is a wholly owned subsidiary of Industrial Promotion Servic ...

, a subsidiary of Industrial Promotion Services * Nyagak III Power Station, a 4.36 megawatt hydropower station under development by the

Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited The Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) is a parastatal company whose primary purpose is to generate electric power for use in Uganda and for sale to neighboring countries. As of December 2017, UEGCL's generation capacity was 38 ...

* Paidha Health Centre III

References

Works cited

External links

Photo of Paidha in 2004
{{Zombo District Democratic Republic of the Congo–Uganda border crossings Zombo District West Nile sub-region Populated places in Northern Region, Uganda