Kasese


Kasese is a town north of Lake George in the Western Region of Uganda. It originally grew around the copper mine at Kilembe, while attention later turned to cobalt mining. It is the chief town of Kasese District, and the district headquarters are located there. Kasese is also the largest town in the Rwenzururu region. Charles Mumbere, the Omusinga of Rwenzururu, maintains a palace in the town.

Location

Kasese is at the western end of the Uganda Railway to Kampala and Tororo and is home to Kasese Airport. The city is near the Rwenzori Mountains and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kasese is approximately, by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. This is about, by road, north-east of Mpondwe, the border town at the international border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The coordinates of Kasese are 0°11'12.0"N, 30°05'17.0"E.

Population

In August 2014, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated the population of the town at 101,679.

Population dynamics

Kasese town is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Uganda. The reasons for this rapid population growth include:
Kasese Cobalt Company Limited, located on the road from Kasese to Rubirizi just south of the central business district of Kasese, extracts cobalt from the sludge left after copper is extracted from the raw ore.

Points of interest

The following points of interest lie within the town or close to its edges: