Kasese District
Kasese District is part of the different districts in Uganda whereby a traveler can access the district while on their wildlife safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park. There is not many explanations needed to make the travellers to Uganda know about this district since it is where most safaris in Uganda head, to Queen Elizabeth national park also the most visited safari destination. Despite this, it is good to dig or dive deep into knowing about Kasese in details, than just tagging it to Queen Elizabeth national park. Kasese is located in the western region of Uganda; the major administrative town of Kasese district is Kasese town, just like the other districts in Uganda. Kasese town is the exact way of the major line of the equator; Kasese town is located along the major world latitude called the equator. The district is situated in an area bounded by kabarole district in the north, kamwenge district in the east, rubirizi district in the south and the democratic republic of congo to the west. You have to drive for a distance of about 359 kilometers from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, to reach Kasese town. Kasese lies astride a large area of about 2724 square kilometers, however part of the district is a reserved land for queen Elizabeth national park, and the other part is for human settlement, infrastructure development and other economic purposes pertaining to human livelihood.
The population of Kasese
Kasese district is one of the countrysides of Uganda, and also one of the remote places of Uganda. For the reason, the population of Kasese is moderate, of about 343600, with both men and women, apart from the children. However, the foreign refugee infiltration is high for the refugees from the democratic republic of congo, has led to a great increase in the population of Kasese district of the past 10 years. The population of Kasese comprises of a multi ethnic group of heterogeneous tribes of people. Despite the heterogeneity of Kasese population, the dominating tribe is the batooro, and the major language used to execute businesses in Kasese district is rutooro and rukonjo. However, Kasese district invites all the ethenic groups in western region of Uganda such as the banyankole, basongora, and the bakiga, plus a few baganda who go to do business there. The easiest languages in Kaseses district include Kiswahili and English; they are also the official languages.
Economic activities done in Kasese
Agriculture is Uganda’s economic backbone, therefore, Kasese is mainly in agriculture district with over 85 percent of the people in the district, practice peasant families for livelihood. The most farming method in Kasese district is subsistence farming which allows the farmers to earn a living and also to support their family needs. The rainy seasons in Kasese they offer a good blessing to the farmers of the area; the rainy season occurs in between March to May and, September to November. It is these rainy seasons that support farming in Kasese. however , the tropical climate with temperatures of about 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius helps the crops to ripen and the dry season if the time for harvesting in Kasese . Most of the products from farming in Kasese district are sold in the local markets in Kasese town, and others are transported for sale to Kampala and other cities and towns in Uganda.
Despite, there are other economic activities which the people of Kasese do in order to earn a living here and there. The people in Kasese also practice fish farming and this is another aspect you can enjoy learning about when in Kasese district of western Uganda. However, fish farming is gradual and slowly takking root in the suburbs of Kasese town; it is however, going to be one of the solid businesses of Kasese due to the fast growing demand for fish by local people and the neighboring countries like congo and Rwanda among others. The people of Kasese also engage in livestock raring, however, on a small scale. The livestock that is commonly reared include cattle, goats, pigs and poultry. Besides farming and its other forms, the people of Kasese are also fisher men; fishing takes place on Lake George and Kazinga channel, plus other smaller crater lakes in the district.
Tourism in Kasese district
Despite the fact that the people of Kasese are mainly farmers and fisher men who love their business, the natural beauty of Kasese district could not help but to attract a lot of visitors to Queen Elizabeth national park, which in turn made Kasese district a tourist destination, and a major one, for Uganda as a growing country. Kasese district is filled with eye catching attractions which the travellers to Uganda never want to miss during their safaris, the following are the major tourist attractions on Kasese diatricts;
- Queen Elizabeth national park is the major and top attraction of Kasese district. Queen Elizabeth national park is not just for Kasese district, but a benefit for the whole country, Uganda, and the world at large. Queen Elizabeth national park features the rare tree climbing lions in ishasha sector. However, the features of Kasese district include kazinga channel, Lake George, lake katwe, mubuku, and kilembe, and an array of wildlife that travellers enjoy during the great game drives.
- Mountain rwenzori national park is another attraction of Kasese district, and the area covers the mountain of the moon or the great mountain rwenzori, where travellers enjoy the thrilling mountain climbing, plus the breath taking dense montane forest with its entire favorite creature among other interesting things.
- Other attractions of Kasese district include crafts and souvenir shop on the road side, hotels and safari cottages in Queen Elizabeth national park such as Mweya safari lodge, communit y walks are very enlightening especially around kilembe mines and Kasese main market, among others. To note; Mweya safari lodge is the most prominent safari accommodation in Kasese located on the Mweya peninsular of Queen Elizabeth national park.
In a synopsis, Kasese district is, by nature, a great tourism destination for many safaris in the pearl of Africa. Kasese district flaunts the beauty of Mother Nature and the pearl of Africa at a glance, in Queen Elizabeth national park. Kasese is also a good commercial area with a lot of lucrative businesses flourishing such as agriculture, fishing, crafts making, hotel and hospitality among others.
