Butaleja District
Encyclopedia
Butaleja District is a district
in Eastern Uganda
. Its named after its 'chief town', Butaleja
, where the district headquarters are located.
to the north, Mbale District
to the east, Tororo District
to the southeast, Bugiri District
to the south and Namutumba District
to the west. The district headquarters at Butaleja
, are located approximately 38 kilometres (23.6 mi), by road, southwest of Mbale
, the nearest large city. The coordinates of the district are:00 56N, 33 57E.
. The predominant ethnicity in the district (85%) are Banyole, a Bantu tribe whose language is called Lunyole. Lunyole has been listed by the Institute of Languages of Makerere University
among the endangered minority languages in Uganda
. The main food of the Banyole is a finger millet
meal called Obusiima. The traditional official meal included Obusiima and mushroom
sauce.
Other ethnicities in the district (15%) include the Jopadhola
, the Bagisu
, the Basoga, the Iteso
, the Karimojong and the Bagwere
. Due to a high population density in the district, environmental degradation is a concern.
There are two municipalities in the district; Butaleja
, where the district headquarters are located and Busolwe
, the location of Busolwe Hospital, a 120 bed public hospital, administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health
.
{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Butaleja District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year !!Estimated Population
|-
|2002||157,500
|-
|2003||162,700
|-
|2004||168,100
|-
|2005||173,600
|-
|2006||179,300
|-
|2007||185,300
|-
|2008||191,400
|-
|2009||197,700
|-
|2010||204,300
|-
|}
's districts, subsistence agriculture is the backbone of the district economy. Crops grown include:
Livestock kept by the population include:
Districts of Uganda
Uganda is divided into 111 districts and one city across four administrative regions. Most districts are named after their main commercial and administrative towns....
in Eastern Uganda
Eastern Region, Uganda
Eastern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
. Its named after its 'chief town', Butaleja
Butaleja
Butaleja is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Butaleja District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, where the district headquarters are located.
Location
Butaleja District is bordered by Budaka DistrictBudaka District
Budaka District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after Budaka, its 'chief town', where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the north, Mbale District
Mbale District
Mbale District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after the largest city in the district, Mbale, which also servess as the main administrative and commercial center in the sub-region.-Location:...
to the east, Tororo District
Tororo District
Tororo District is a district in Eastern Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its "chief town", Tororo.-Location:Tororo District is bordered by Mbale District to the north, Manafwa District to the northeast, the Republic of Kenya to the east, Busia District to the south,...
to the southeast, Bugiri District
Bugiri District
Bugiri District is a district in Eastern Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Bugiri, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the south and Namutumba District
Namutumba District
Namutumba District, sometimes referred to as Busiki District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It's named after its 'chief town', Namutumba, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
to the west. The district headquarters at Butaleja
Butaleja
Butaleja is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Butaleja District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, are located approximately 38 kilometres (23.6 mi), by road, southwest of Mbale
Mbale
Mbale is a city in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municiplal, administrative and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, the nearest large city. The coordinates of the district are:00 56N, 33 57E.
Overview
Butaleja District was created by Act of the Ugandan Parliament, and became operational on 01 July 2005. Prior to that the district was known as Bunyole County and was part of Tororo DistrictTororo District
Tororo District is a district in Eastern Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its "chief town", Tororo.-Location:Tororo District is bordered by Mbale District to the north, Manafwa District to the northeast, the Republic of Kenya to the east, Busia District to the south,...
. The predominant ethnicity in the district (85%) are Banyole, a Bantu tribe whose language is called Lunyole. Lunyole has been listed by the Institute of Languages of Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
among the endangered minority languages in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. The main food of the Banyole is a finger millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
meal called Obusiima. The traditional official meal included Obusiima and mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
sauce.
Other ethnicities in the district (15%) include the Jopadhola
Jopadhola
The Adhola people, also known as Jopadhola or Badama, are an ethnic group of Uganda. They live Tororo District in southeastern Uganda and comprise about two percent of the country's total population. They speak Dhopadhola , which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language...
, the Bagisu
Bagisu
The Gisu people, or Bagisu , alternately Gishu, Masaba, or Sokwia, are a tribe of the Masaba nation of eastern Uganda, closely related to the Bukusu people of Kenya...
, the Basoga, the Iteso
Iteso
The Teso are an ethnic group in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. Teso refers to the traditional homeland of the Iteso, and Ateso is their language.-Uganda:...
, the Karimojong and the Bagwere
Bagwere
The Gwere people, or Bagwere, are a Bantu ethnic group in Uganda. The Bagwere constitute an estimated 4% of Uganda's population.-Location:...
. Due to a high population density in the district, environmental degradation is a concern.
There are two municipalities in the district; Butaleja
Butaleja
Butaleja is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Butaleja District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, where the district headquarters are located and Busolwe
Busolwe
Busolwe is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is one of the two municipalities in Butaleja District, the other municipality being Butaleja, the location of the district headquarters.-Location:...
, the location of Busolwe Hospital, a 120 bed public hospital, administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health
Uganda Ministry of Health
The Uganda Health Ministry, commonly known as the Uganda Ministry of Health, is a government department in Uganda. The ministry is headed by three cabinet members; one Minister of Health and two State Ministers of Health.-Location:...
.
Population
The national census in 2002 estimated the population of the district at about 157,500. The annual population growth rate in the district was 3.3%. Using those statistics, it is estimated that the population of Butaleja District in 2010 was approximately 204,300. See table below:{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | Butaleja District Population Trends
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Year !!Estimated Population
|-
|2002||157,500
|-
|2003||162,700
|-
|2004||168,100
|-
|2005||173,600
|-
|2006||179,300
|-
|2007||185,300
|-
|2008||191,400
|-
|2009||197,700
|-
|2010||204,300
|-
|}
Economic activities
Like in most of UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
's districts, subsistence agriculture is the backbone of the district economy. Crops grown include:
- MilletMilletThe millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
- MaizeMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
- Sweet potatoes
- Beans
- Bananas
- Matooke
- RiceRiceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
- CottonCottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
- Groundnuts
- CassavaCassavaCassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
- SorghumSorghumSorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
Livestock kept by the population include:
- CattleCattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
- Goats
- Sheep
- Rabbits
- PigsPIGSPIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
- ChickenChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
- Turkeys
- Ducks
- Pigeons
- Guinea Fowl