District: Rukiga
Total Area: 426.3 sq. km.
Population: 106,000 people (2021)
Males: 51,300 (2021)
Females: 54,700 (2021)
Male: Female ratio: 0.94:1
Population density: 249/sq. km.
Geography: Rukiga is a mountainous boot-shaped wedge in South West Uganda, bordered on the north by Rukungiri District, on the east by Ntungamo District, on the South East by the Republic of Rwanda, on the South West by Kabale District and on the North West by Rubanda District.
Covering only 0.2 per cent of Uganda, Rukiga is the same size as the Caribbean island of Barbados and only 20 sq.km smaller than Seychelles. One can walk from the northern to the southern border in less than 12 hours, and cross from west to south in less than 6 hours.
The word Rukiga means a hilly country. In the pre-colonial period, it was also referred to as Munkiga. With its combination of rolling terraced hills and rugged bare mountains, a fresh water lake and surviving swamps (marsh), Rukiga is a visual replica of its neighboring districts that make up Kigyezi Region.
Until 1980, Rukiga was one of the six counties (amashaza) of Kigyezi (Rukiga, Rujumbura, Kinkizi, Rubanda, Bufumbira and Ndorwa.) Rukiga County was made up of six sub-counties (amagomborora), namely, Bukinda, Kamuheesi (Kamwezi), Kashambya, Nyakishenyi, Nyarushanje and Rwamucuucu. Nyakishenyi and Nyarushanje were hived off from Rukiga and added to Rujumbura to create Rukungiri District.
Mparo , the old headquarters of Rukiga County, as it was in 2011.
Today, Rukiga District, which came into being on July 1, 2017, is made up of the sub-counties of Bukinda, Kamuheesi (Kamwezi), Kashambya, Rwamucuucu, plus Mparo Town Council and Muhanga Town Council.
Until the mid-1970s, most of the hillsides of Rukiga had extensive tree cover, mostly of the black wattle variety. There were many small forests in the valleys - in places like Kangondo in Mparo – and had many swamps (marshes) stretching from Muhanga to Rushebeya, Kashambya and Nyarushanje.
From Rushebeya through Kangondo, Sindi, to Ibumba was all one continuous swamp. The swamp branched northwest from Kangondo, hugging the banks of a river through Kiyogoore, Kasooni and Noozi, and continued to Nyamweru in Rubanda.
Many of these swamps were drained and converted into farms, with catastrophic consequences on the environment, not least among them the water levels of the rivers and streams. Like elsewhere in Kigyezi Region, the rivers of Rukiga are now smaller and continue to be threatened. Lake Kanyabaha may be irreversibly affected in the coming years.
A concerted effort by the people of Rukiga and Kigyezi and others who care about the environment is urgently needed to attempt to reverse this situation.
The People: Rukiga, which was part of the old precolonial Kingdom of Mpororo, is home to Abahororo (Bahororo), Abakiga (Bakiga), a small number of Abanyarwanda (Banyarwanda), and a few Baganda families who are descendants of some Baganda colonial chiefs, and other Baganda emigres and refugees.
Main economic activities: Farming, traditional beer production, brick-making, trade in imported commodities.
Main Towns
Capital: Mparo
Main Commercial Centre: Muhanga
Other towns: Bukinda, Kamuheesi (Kamwezi), Kangondo, Sindi, Rushebeya, Kashumuuruzi, Kitunga, Kantare.