Sembabule 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

in the Central 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 ...

. The town of Sembabule is the site of the district headquarters. Other urban centers in the district include Lwemiyaga and Ntuusi.

Location

Sembabule District is bordered by

Mubende District Mubende is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Mubende is the site of the district headquarters. The district was reduced in size in July 2005 with the creation of the Mityana District and reduced again in 2019 when Kassanda ...

to the north,

Gomba District Gomba is a district in Central Uganda. Location Gomba District is bordered by Mubende District to the west and north, Mityana District to the northeast and Butambala District to the east. Kalungu District, Bukomansimbi District and Sembabule ...

to the northeast,

Bukomansimbi District Bukomansimbi District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Central Region, Uganda, Central Uganda. The district is named after its main municipal center, Bukomansimbi, the location of the district headquarters. Location Bukomansimbi District is ...

to the east,

Lwengo District Lwengo District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. Lwengo is the largest town in the district and the location of the district headquarters. Location Lwengo District is bordered by Sembabule District to the north, Bukomansimbi Distr ...

to the south,

Lyantonde District Lyantonde District is a district in southern Central Uganda (Buganda). It is named after the 'chief town' of the district, Lyantonde, where the district headquarters are located. Location Lyantonde District is bordered by Sembabule District to ...

to the southwest, and

Kiruhura District Kiruhura District is a district in the Western Region of Uganda. The town of Rushere is the site of the district headquarters. Location Kiruhura District is bordered by Kamwenge District and Kyegegwa District to the north, Sembabule Dis ...

to the northwest. The town of Sembabule is approximately , by road, northwest of

Masaka Masaka is a city in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region in Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District. Location Masaka is approximately to the south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara. The ...

, the largest town in the sub-region.

Overview

Sembabule District was carved out of

Masaka District Masaka District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Buganda, Buganda Kingdom in Uganda. Its main town is Masaka City, whose estimated population in 2011 was 74,100. Location The district is bordered by Masaka, Masaka City to the north-west an ...

in 1997. The district is generally a rural district that receives relatively low rainfall and has long dry spells. This greatly affects agriculture, but cattle keeping is not seriously affected. Some cattle are reared on ranches. Ranching and

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

are the backbone of the district's economy. Administratively, the district has two counties ( Lwemiyaga and Mawogola Counties) that are divided into the following sub-counties: * Mateete * Rwebitakuri * Mijwala * Lugusulu * Ntuusi * Lwemiyaga * Sembabule

Population

In 1991, the national population census estimated the district population at 144,040. The 2002 national census estimated the population at 180,050, with an annual growth rate of 2 percent. In 2012, the population was estimated at 219,600.

Economic activities

Agriculture is the mainstay of the district economy. Agriculture involves both crop and animal husbandry. Because of the relatively dry climate,

cattle ranching A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often applied to li ...

for beef and

are the most important economic activities in the district.

Fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...

is being implemented increasingly in the district as well. The produce of the district is marketed in Uganda's larger cities and in area towns including

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 ...

, and

Rakai Rakai is a town in the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda. It is the site of the headquarters of Rakai District. Other towns in the district include Kalisizo, Kyotera Kakuuto and Mutukula. Geography The nearest town is Kyotera, in ...

. The crops grown for food and sale include: * Sweet bananas *

Matooke Matoke, locally also known as matooke, amatooke in Buganda (Central Uganda), ekitookye in southwestern Uganda, ekitooke in western Uganda, kamatore in Lugisu (Eastern Uganda), ebitooke in northwestern Tanzania, igitoki in Rwanda, Burundi and by th ...

* Potatoes *

Cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

* Yams *

Maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

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 millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

Cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...

* Peas *

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

s *

Pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, 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 culti ...

* Groundnuts *

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

Points of interest

In the region around Bwera, there is a site known as

Bigo bya Mugenyi Bigo bya Mugenyi also known as just Bigo (“city”), is an extensive alignment of ditches and berms comprising ancient Earthworks (archaeology), earthworks located in the interlacustrine region of southwestern Uganda. Situated on the southern sho ...

, which appears to be the location of human settlement dating back to the late

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

(1200 - 1000BC). Excavations at the site have yielded iron blades (most probably used for harvesting grain),

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

with simple decorations, cattle dung, and post-holes for fencing.

References

External links

Ssembeguya Has Raised 35,000 Goats
{{Authority control Districts of Uganda Central Region, Uganda