Kisiizi
Encyclopedia
Rukungiri District
Rukungiri District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town' of Rukungiri where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
of south-west 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...
.
Location
The town of Kisiizi is located in Rukungiri DistrictRukungiri District
Rukungiri District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town' of Rukungiri where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
, in southwestern Uganda, approximately 22 kilometres (13.7 mi), by road, south of the district headquarters at Rukungiri
Rukungiri
Rukungiri is a town in Western Uganda. It is the 'chief town' of Rukungiri District and the district headquarters are located there. The district was named after the town in 1980.-Location:...
. This location is approximately 46 kilometres (28.6 mi), by road, north of Kabale
Kabale
Kabale is a city in Western Uganda. It is the 'chief town' of Kabale District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, the largest city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the sub-region
Kigezi
Kigezi District once covered what are now Kabale District, Kanungu District, Kisoro District and Rukungiri District, in southwest Uganda. Its terraced fields are what gives this part of Uganda its distinctive character. Kigezi was popularly known as the Switzerland of East Africa...
. The coordinates of Kisiizi are:00 59 45S, 29 57 44E (Latitude:-0.9956; Longitude:29.9625).
Overview
Kisiizi owes its existence to the presence of Kisiizi HospitalKisiizi Hospital
Kisiizi Hospital, is a hospital in the town of Kisiizi, in Rukungiri District, southwestern Uganda.-Location:Kisiizi Hospital is located in the town of Kisiizi, approximately , by road, south of Rukungiri, where the district headquarters are located. This location is approximately , by road, north...
. Kisiizi Hospital also has a primary school, which has close links with a secondary school named Rubirizi Secondary School. The town is split into upper and lower Kisiizi, separated by a distance of about a five (5) minutes journey by car. Both the primary school and hospital are located in lower Kisiizi, along with a small market, an internet cafe, and various residential buildings. The Internet Cafe (run by MicroCare Limited, in co-operation with Project Trust
Project Trust
Project Trust is one of the longest established Gap Year organizations in the UK. It is based at The Hebridean Centre on the island of Coll off the West coast of Scotland where prospective and returning volunteers are required to attend residential selection, training and de-briefing weeks...
volunteers) also offers daily IT tuition to local school and hospital staff. Upper Kisiizi consists mainly of shops and housing with a number of small bars.
Kisiizi Power Station
Kisiizi Waterfall is the site of a hydroelectric dam project, completed in 2008. The Hospital's water engineer, Charles Swainson, is the head of the project. The current turbine produces 300kW (0.3MW) of power. It replaced a much smaller turbine that could only produce 60kW (0.06MW). The new power station was inaugurated at Kisiizi Hospital's Golden Jubilee weekend 14-16 November 2008 when there was a time of celebration and thanksgiving for the work and ministry of the Hospital in its first 50 years. The surplus power generated by the new station is shared with the other institutions within the hospital complex and the rest is sold to the neighboring community to generate operational funds for the station.Population
As of January 2010, the exact population of Kisiizi is not known. Most of the locals speak Rukiga.Hospital
Kisiizi Hospital was established in 1958 and is run by the Church of UgandaChurch of Uganda
The Church of the Province of Uganda is a member church of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 34 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop....
. Kisiizi Hospital provides a wide range of services and patients travel from a wide catchment area to access care. The hospital receives a lot of support from Friends of Kisiizi and has had generous donations towards new buildings from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
including St. Andrew's College, Dublin
St. Andrew's College, Dublin
St. Andrew's College - is a co-educational inter-denominational, international day school, founded in 1894 by members of the Presbyterian community, and now located in Booterstown, Dublin, Ireland.St...
, and St. Paul's Church in Dublin. The only local church is located at the center of the hospital complex. There are a steady stream of visits by Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
medical students. Friends of Kisiizi in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, has an annual Friends Day.
Landmarks
The landmarks within Kisiizi, or close to its borders include:- Kisiizi HospitalKisiizi HospitalKisiizi Hospital, is a hospital in the town of Kisiizi, in Rukungiri District, southwestern Uganda.-Location:Kisiizi Hospital is located in the town of Kisiizi, approximately , by road, south of Rukungiri, where the district headquarters are located. This location is approximately , by road, north...
- A private 250-bed, non-profit community hospital administered by the Church of UgandaChurch of UgandaThe Church of the Province of Uganda is a member church of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 34 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop....
. - Kisiizi Power StationKisiizi Power Station-Location:The power station is located at the site of Kisiizi Waterfall, in the town of Kisiizi, Rukungiri District, in southwestern Uganda. This location is approximately , by road, south of Rukungiri, where the district headquarters are located. Kisiizi is located approximately , by road, north...
- A 300kW hydroelectric power station owned and operated by Kisiizi Power Company Limited, a subsidiary company of Kisiizi Hospital - Kisiizi Hospital School Of Nursing - A nursing school owned and operated by Kisiizi Hospital
- Kisiizi Hospital Primary School - A community primary school owned by Kisiizi Hospital
- A branch of Equity BankEquity Bank (Uganda)-Overview:The bank provides banking services to individuals and to small and medium business enterprises. As of December 2009, the bank was the 14th largest commercial bank in Uganda with an estimated asset valuation of approximately US$81.4 million or approximately 2% of all bank assets in the...
- Rubirizi Secondary School - A secondary school, not owned by Kisiizi Hospital
- Kisiizi Central Market - The largest source of fresh produce in Kisiizi
- Microcare Internet Cafe - An Internet cafe owned by Microcare Uganda Limited.