Mbarara

Mbarara is an important transport hub, lying west of Masaka on the road to Kabale, near Lake Mburo National Park. This is about 270 kilometres (168 mi), by road, southwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and oldest city.[6] The coordinates of the Mbarara central business district are 00 36 48S, 30 39 30E (Latitude:-0.6132; Longitude:30.6582).[7] The city lies at an average elevation at about 1,147 metres (3,763 ft) above sea level.[8]

The city has a total of 23 wards spread across 6 divisions and 2 constituencies.

In 2002, the national census estimated the population of the town at 69,400. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 82,000 in 2010. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 83,700.[9] In August 2014, the national population census put the population at 195,013.[3]

Between the driest and wettest months, the difference in precipitation is 94 mm | 4 inch. The variation in annual temperature is around 2.4 °C | 4.3 °F. The month with the highest relative humidity is November (76.93%). The month with the lowest relative humidity is July (53.76%). The month with the highest number of rainy days is October (22.37 days). The month with the lowest number of rainy days is July (3.67 days). Mbarara is in the middle and the summers are that easy to define.

Amahembe Gente (bull) closer view

Mbarara came from behind and developed to surpass Entebbe, Masaka, Gulu, and Jinja. As of 2014, Mbarara was the second-largest city in Uganda after Kampala and also second to Kampala in importance, industry, and infrastructure.[12]

Starting with 2000, modern buildings have been established including malls, arcades, plaza, and hotels. Modern hospitals have also been constructed including Mbarara Hospital, which is now a Regional Referral Hospital, Mbarara Community Hospital, a private hospital located in Kyamugorani, Kakiika Division,[13] and Mayanja Memorial Hospital, located in Nyamityobora Kakoba Division.[14]

Mbarara is the home of Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST), founded in 1989.

With significance for all Ugandan cities, Mbarara was the host to the 2004 Annual General Meeting of the Uganda Local Governments Association on 1 October, which saw the changing of the organisation to its current structure in order to represent all Ugandan local governments. Mbarara remains an active member of this governmental association.[15]

Due to a rapidly expanding population, the current water supply from nearby River Rwizi is insufficient to meet the future needs of Mbarara City.[16] The Ugandan government has borrowed €120 million to source water from the Kagera River purify it and pump it to Mbarara, Masaka and Isingiro District.[17][18]

As part of the modernisation of the Mbarara-Katuna Road (2011 - 2015), a new northern bypass road is planned for the town. The bypass will start from the Coca-Cola Plant on Mbarara-Masaka Road at Makenke, pass through Rwebishuri and Nkokonjeru and join the Mbarara-Kabale Road at Katatumba Resort, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of the central business district. The bypass is expected to decongest the city centre by taking the long-distance trucks destined for and coming from Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo off of Mbarara's city streets. The 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) road is expected to cost about €170 million (US$210 million), of which the European Union is expected to lend about €122 million (US$153 million) with the government funding the balance from its own resources.[19]

The following additional points of interest lie within the city limits or close to its edges:

• Ankole sub-region
• List of cities and towns in Uganda
• Ray G
• Robert Mwesigwa

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mbarara.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mbarara.

• Mbarara University Homepage
• Britannica Online Article About Mbarara
• Nile Breweries Raises Tetchy Land Question Over Mbarara Project
• Mbarara City- A city web portal for Mbarara
• Mbarara News website
• Downtown Mbarara
• The Ankole Times

00°36′48″S 30°39′30″E