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Soroti is a city in
Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to: * Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain *Eastern Region, Ghana *Eastern Region (Iceland) *Eastern Region, Malta *Eastern Region, Nepal *Eastern Region, Nigeria * Eastern Region, Serbia *Eastern Region, Ugand ...
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 ...
. It is the main city, commercial, and administrative center in
Soroti District Soroti District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Uganda. It is named after its chief municipal, administrative and commercial headquarters, Soroti, where the district headquarters are located. Location Soroti D ...
, one of the nine administrative districts in the
Teso sub-region Teso sub-region (previously known as Teso District) is a sub-region in Eastern Region, Uganda that consists of: * Amuria District * Bukedea District * Kaberamaido District * Kapelebyong District * Katakwi District * Kumi District * Ngora D ...
. Soroti city was immediately approved for operationalization ahead of schedule by the Parliament of Uganda in the Financial Year 2020/2021.


History

In the late
Uganda–Tanzania War The Uganda–Tanzania War, known in Tanzania as the Kagera War (Kiswahili: ''Vita vya Kagera'') and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War, was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979 and led to the overthrow of Ugand ...
, Soroti suffered from lootings as well as mass killings committed by fleeing Uganda Army troops. When the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) and the
Tanzania People's Defence Force The Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) () is the military force of the United Republic of Tanzania. It was established in September 1964, following a mutiny by the former colonial military force, the Tanganyika Rifles. From its inception, ...
's 7th Battalion captured the town as part of the
Eastern Uganda campaign of 1979 The Eastern Uganda campaign of 1979 was a military operation by Tanzanian forces and allied Ugandan rebels, most importantly the Uganda National Liberation Army, against Uganda Army (UA) troops loyal to Idi Amin during the Uganda–Tanzania War. T ...
, they found it plundered and discovered the corpses of about 50 civilians. The local Radio Uganda station was left mostly undamaged, however, and was quickly broadcasting again. In the last phase of the
Ugandan Bush War The Ugandan Bush War was a civil war fought in Uganda by the official Ugandan government and its armed wing, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), against a number of rebel groups, most importantly the National Resistance Army (NRA), from 19 ...
in early 1986, the area around Soroti became the site of heavy fighting. Rebelling UNLA troops and Karamojong militias ambushed retreating loyalist UNLA forces in the area, and later blocked the Awoja Bridge near Soroti. On 12 February 1986, Soroti itself was captured by the
National Resistance Army The National Resistance Army (NRA) was a guerilla army and the military wing of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) that fought in the Ugandan Bush War against the government of Milton Obote, and later the government of Tito Okello. NRA wa ...
(NRA) as part of its efforts to conquer northern Uganda.


Geography

Soroti City is surrounded by
Soroti District Soroti District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Uganda. It is named after its chief municipal, administrative and commercial headquarters, Soroti, where the district headquarters are located. Location Soroti D ...
, of the Teso sub-region, in the
Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to: * Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain *Eastern Region, Ghana *Eastern Region (Iceland) *Eastern Region, Malta *Eastern Region, Nepal *Eastern Region, Nigeria * Eastern Region, Serbia *Eastern Region, Ugand ...
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 ...
, lying north of
Lake Kyoga Lake Kyoga or Lake Kioga (literally 'the place of bathing' in Runyoro language) is a large shallow lake in Uganda, about in area and at an elevation of 1,033 metres. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake ...
. Soroti is approximately , by road, northwest of the city of
Mbale Mbale is a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region. Location Mbale is approximately northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capital city, on ...
, the largest urban centre in Uganda's Eastern Region. Soroti lies on the
Tororo–Mbale–Soroti Road Tororo–Mbale–Soroti Road is a road in Eastern Uganda, connecting the towns of Tororo in Tororo District to Mbale in Mbale District and Soroti in Soroti District. Location The road starts at Tororo and goes through Mbale, Bukedea, and Ku ...
or Lira-Mbale route, approximately , by road, northeast of
Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...
, Uganda's capital and largest city. The coordinates of Soroti are 1°42'54.0"N, 33°36'40.0"E (Latitude:1.715000; Longitude:33.611111). Soroti lies at an average elevation of above
mean sea level A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...
.


Climate


Population

The 1969 national population census enumerated the population of Soroti at 12,398. In 1980, the population had increased to 15,048. During the 1991 national census, Soroti's population was 40,970. In August 2014, the national population census put Soroti's population at 49,685. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the mid-year population of Soroti in 2020, at 60,900. The table below illustrates the data in tabular format.


Education

Soroti hosts the main campus of
Soroti University Soroti University (SUN), is a public multi-campus university in Uganda. It is one of the nine public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country. Location Soroti University has its main campus in Arapai, Arapai sub-county, Soro ...
, a public institution of higher education, located in the suburb of
Arapai Arapai is a settlement in Eastern Uganda. It is a suburb of the town of Soroti, in Soroti District, in the Teso sub-region. Location Arapai is located approximately , by road, north of the central business district of the town of Soroti, on the ...
. Soroti is also home to secondary campuses of Kumi University, and
Kyambogo University Kyambogo University (KYU) is a public university in Uganda. It is one of the largest and prestigious University in Uganda and is among the eight public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country with the motto, "Knowledge and Sk ...
. Soroti Secondary School is one of the biggest day school in Teso.


Transport

Soroti is connected to Mbale and Lira via the tarmacked Tororo–Mbale–Soroti Road and Soroti–Dokolo–Lira Road. The recently completed Soroti–Katakwi–Moroto–Lokitanyala Road connects the town to Moroto, in extreme northeastern Uganda. The
Soroti–Amuria–Abim–Kotido Road Soroti–Amuria–Abim–Kotido Road is a road in the Eastern and Northern Regions of Uganda. The road connects the towns of Soroti in Soroti District, to Amuria in Amuria District, Abim in Abim District, and Kotido, in Kotido District. So ...
, remains gravel surfaced, as of July 2020. Soroti is also served by Soroti Airport, lying approximately , by road, northeast of the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
of the town.


Points of interest

The following points of interest are located in Soroti or near the town limits: 1. The headquarters of Soroti District Administration 2. The offices of Soroti Town Council 3. A branch of the National Social Security Fund 4.
Soroti Regional Referral Hospital Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, commonly known as Soroti Hospital is a hospital in the city of Soroti, in Soroti District, in Eastern Uganda. It is the referral hospital for the districts of Amuria, Bukedea, Kaberamaido, Kapelebyong, K ...
, a 275-bed public hospital administered by the
Uganda Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health is a Cabinet of Uganda, 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 reh ...
5. The main campus of
Soroti University Soroti University (SUN), is a public multi-campus university in Uganda. It is one of the nine public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country. Location Soroti University has its main campus in Arapai, Arapai sub-county, Soro ...
, a public institution of higher education 6. Teso College Aloet, an all-boys boarding secondary school 7. Lwala Soroti Hospital, a 135-bed, non-governmental hospital, administered by the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau 8. Soroti Solar Power Station, a privately owned solar power plant with generation capacity of 10 megawatts 9.
Soroti Rock Soroti Rock is a striking granite formation prominent that towers above Soroti town center, Uganda, offering good views across to Lake Kyoga Lake Kyoga or Lake Kioga (literally 'the place of bathing' in Runyoro language) is a large shallow lake ...
, a volcanic rock formation. 10. Soroti central market 11. The headquarters of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Soroti The Roman Catholic Diocese of Soroti () is a diocese located in the city of Soroti in the ecclesiastical province of Tororo in Uganda. History The current bishop of Soroti Catholic Diocese is Rt. Rev. Joseph Eciru Oliach, who was consecrated ...
and 12. Tororo-Lira-Kamdini Highway, which passes through the center of town in a north-west/south-east direction. Soroti is also home to Soroti Fruit Processing Factory, a joint venture between Uganda Development Corporation and Teso Tropical Fruit Growers Cooperative Union, built with assistance from Korea International Cooperation Agency and was opened in April 2019.


See also

*
Soroti Rock Soroti Rock is a striking granite formation prominent that towers above Soroti town center, Uganda, offering good views across to Lake Kyoga Lake Kyoga or Lake Kioga (literally 'the place of bathing' in Runyoro language) is a large shallow lake ...
*
Teso sub-region Teso sub-region (previously known as Teso District) is a sub-region in Eastern Region, Uganda that consists of: * Amuria District * Bukedea District * Kaberamaido District * Kapelebyong District * Katakwi District * Kumi District * Ngora D ...
*
List of cities and towns in Uganda This is a list of cities and towns in Uganda: The population data are for 2014, except where otherwise indicated. The references from which the estimated populations are sourced are listed in each article for the cities and towns where the ...


Notes


References


Works cited

* * *


External links


Soroti District Homepage Soroti District named one of the poorest in Uganda
As of 10 February 2009. {{Soroti District Populated places in Eastern Region, Uganda Soroti District