Mpondwe

{{Infobox settlement |official_name = Mpondwe |image_skyline = |nickname= |image_flag = |image_caption = Mpondwe |image_seal = |image_map = |mapsize = 150px |pushpin_map_caption = Map of Uganda showing the location of Mpondwe. |pushpin_map = Uganda |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Uganda |subdivision_type1 = Region |subdivision_name1 = Western Region |subdivision_type2 = Sub-region |subdivision_name2 = Rwenzururu sub-region |subdivision_type3 = District |subdivision_name3 = Kasese District |leader_title = Mayor |leader_name = |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 = |area_water_km2 = |population_as_of = 2024 Census |population_urban = |population_note = |population_total = 65539<ref name="10R"/> |population_metro = |timezone = EAT |utc_offset = +3 |coordinates = {{coord|00|02|24|N|29|43|30|E|display=inline, title}} |elevation_m = 1220 |latitude = |longitude = |website = |footnotes = }}

'''Mpondwe''' is a town in the Western Region of Uganda.<ref name="New"/>

==History== {{expand section|date=June 2023}} In June 2023, the Lhubiriha secondary school in Mpondwe was attacked by militants linked to Islamic State group from the nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo. Around 40 people, mostly school boys were killed while several girls were abducted.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65937484 | title=Uganda school attack: Dozens of pupils killed by militants linked to Islamic State group | work=BBC News | date=17 June 2023 }}</ref>

==Location== The town is at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bwera is another settlement to the immediate east of the Mpondwe border crossing. The Mpondwe Town Council incorporates Bwera, and in this article "Mpondwe" refers to the combined "Mpondwe-Bwera" metropolitan area.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Parliamentary Committee On EAC Affairs Visits Mpondwe One Stop Border Post|url=https://mia.go.ug/gallery/parliamentary-committee-eac-affairs-visits-mpondwe-one-stop-border-post}}</ref>

Mpondwe is approximately {{convert|55.5|km|0}}, by road, south-west of Kasese, where the district headquarters are located.<ref name="3R">{{google maps| url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Kasese/Bwera/@0.0759537,29.7795931,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x1761f22d0aeab9db:0x2459705d97ccfe70!2m2!1d30.078078!2d0.1698986!1m5!1m1!1s0x1761de4b94e8e959:0x746f3e2d97d78604!2m2!1d29.7599761!2d0.0364501!3e0 | title=Road Distance Between Kasese, Uganda And Mpondwe, Uganda | access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref> This is about {{convert|131|km}} southwest of Fort Portal, the nearest large city.<ref name="4R">{{google maps| url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Fort+Portal/Bwera/@0.2795899,29.5982712,9.25z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x1763da423ccd41c1:0xb3115cac70684750!2m2!1d30.2801166!2d0.6546257!1m5!1m1!1s0x1761de4b94e8e959:0x746f3e2d97d78604!2m2!1d29.7599761!2d0.0364501!3e0 | Travel Distance Between Fort Portal, Uganda And Mpondwe, Uganda | access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref> Bwera is located approximately {{convert|424|km|0}}, by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.<ref name="5R">{{google maps| url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Kampala/Bwera/@-0.0282587,30.8734106,8z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x177dbc0f9d74b39b:0x4538903dd96b6fec!2m2!1d32.5825197!2d0.3475964!1m5!1m1!1s0x1761de4b94e8e959:0x746f3e2d97d78604!2m2!1d29.7599761!2d0.0364501!3e0 | title=Map Showing Kampala, Uganda And Bwera, Uganda With Distance Marker |access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref> The geographical coordinates of the town are 0° 02' 24.00"N, 29° 43' 30.00"E (Latitude:0.0400; Longitude:29.7250).<ref name="6R">{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/0%C2%B002'24.0%22N+29%C2%B043'30.0%22E/@0.040286,29.7274436,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0 | title=Location of Mpondwe At Google Maps |access-date=2 July 2015}}</ref> The town sits at an average elevation of {{convert|1220|m}} above mean sea level.<ref name="7R">{{cite web|url=https://www.floodmap.net/Elevation/ElevationMap/?gi=229005 |title=Elevation of Mpondwe, Uganda |date=25 January 2021 |publisher=Floodmap.net |access-date=25 January 2021 | author=Floodmap}}</ref>

==Overview== Mpondwe is one of the three busiest border crossings between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The other two are Goli, in Nebbi District and Bunagana, in Kisoro District. The town is the busiest border crossing between the two countries, based on volume of exports and imports.<ref name="New">{{cite web| newspaper=The Independent (Uganda) via AllAfrica.com |title=Uganda: Mpondwe Export Zone to Boost Trade Between Uganda and DR Congo |url=https://allafrica.com/stories/201803070155.html |date=6 March 2018 |access-date=8 March 2018 |first=Godfrey | last=Ssali |location=Kampala}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Busia leads in border trade |newspaper=New Vision | date=10 August 2006 |access-date=19 May 2016 | url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1143095/busia-leads-border-trade |last=Muwanga |first=David |location=Kampala}}</ref>

==Population== In 2002, the national population census estimated the population of Mpondwe at 12,050. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 16,100. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 16,700.<ref name="9R">{{cite web| title=Estimated Population of Mpondwe In 2002, 2010 And 2011 | url=http://www.ubos.org/onlinefiles/uploads/ubos/pdf%20documents/TP52010.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707231502/http://www.ubos.org/onlinefiles/uploads/ubos/pdf%20documents/TP52010.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=2014-07-07 |publisher=Uganda Bureau of Statistics |date=2012 |author=Uganda Bureau of Statistics |access-date=25 January 2021 |location=Kampala |format=Archived from the original on 19 January 2013}}</ref> The national census in August 2014 put the population at 51,131.<ref name="10R">{{cite web| date=14 June 2020 | url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uganda/cities/ |title=The population of all Ugandan cities and towns with more than 15,000 inhabitants according to census results and latest official projections |publisher=Citypopulation.de |author=Uganda Bureau of Statistics |format=Citypopulation.de Quoting Uganda Bureau of Statistics |access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>

In 2015, UBOS estimated the population of Mpondwe Municipality at 52,000. In 2020, the population agency estimated the mid-year population of the town at 58,600 people. Of these, 30,400 (51.9 percent) were females and 28,200 (48.1 percent) were males. UBOS calculated the annual population growth rate of Mpondwe to average 2.34 percent per year, between 2015 and 2020.<ref name="Bwambale">{{cite web| publisher=Citypopulation.de | url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uganda/western/admin/kasese/SC0862__mpondwe_lhubiriha/ |title=The population development of Mpondwe-Lhubiriha as well as related information and services | date=14 June 2021 |author=Uganda Bureau of Statistics | access-date=25 January 2021 |format=Citypopulation.de Quoting Uganda Bureau of Statistics}}</ref>{{Historical populations| 2002|12,050|2010|16,100|2011|16,700|2014|51,131|2015|52,000|2020|58,600|||align=none|footnote=source:<ref name="Bwambale"/><ref name="9R"/><ref name="10R"/>}}

==One Stop Border Post== In March 2018, The Independent (Uganda) reported that the government of Uganda, had secured a loan of US$14 million (USh50.4 billion), to facilitate cross-border trade between Uganda and DR Congo. The Ugandan government, through the Uganda Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and the Uganda Ministry of Works and Transport, in collaboration with other stakeholders plans to use the borrowed funds to construct a one-stop-border-post (OSBP) and a Border Export Zone (BEZ) at Mpondwe.<ref name="New"/> Construction of the OSBP and BEZ was officially commissioned on Thursday 17 April 2019, by president Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.<ref name="OsbpR">{{cite web| work=Daily Monitor | url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-to-open-one-stop-border-post-Kasese/688334-5075116-62myc0z/index.html | title=Museveni to open one-stop-border post in Kasese |date=17 April 2019 |access-date=18 April 2019 |author=Felix Basiime | location=Kampala}}</ref> As of June 2022, completion of the OSBP and BEZ was estimated at 92 percent.<ref name="BEZR">{{cite web| url=https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/mpondwe-one-stop-border-post-completion-at-92-135675 |title=Mpondwe one-stop border post completion at 92% – works officials |date=8 June 2022 |work=New Vision |author=David Lumu |access-date=3 August 2022 |location=Kampala}}</ref>

==Points of interest== The following points of interest lie within the town limits or close to the edges of town:<ref name="6R"/>

1. Offices of the Uganda Revenue Authority<ref name="OsbpR"/>

2. Bwera General Hospital – A 120-bed public Hospital, administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health

3. Mpondwe Central Market

4. Offices of Mpondwe-Bwera Town Council

5. International border crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo<ref name="OsbpR"/>

6. Mpondwe Border Export Zone (In development).<ref name="12R">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.ug/mpondwe-export-zone-boost-trade-uganda-dr-congo/ |title=Mpondwe export zone to boost trade between Uganda and DR Congo |newspaper=The Independent (Uganda) |date=6 March 2018 |access-date=18 April 2019 | author=The Independent |location=Kampala}}</ref>

7. The Mbarara–Kisangani Road crosses between Uganda and DRC at this location.<ref name="13R">{{cite web|date=19 February 2019 |url=https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/shipping/Missing-links-in-proposed-Mombasa-Lagos-highway/4003122-4989714-p8b0ekz/index.html |title=Missing links in proposed Mombasa-Lagos highway |newspaper=Business Daily Africa |access-date=25 January 2021 |author=Samuel Baya |location=Nairobi}}</ref>

==Prominent people== * Crispus Kiyonga – Physician and politician. Current Ambassador to China and former Minister of Defence in the Cabinet of Uganda. He was born here and maintains a home in the area. He also served as the elected member of Parliament for this constituency.<ref name="14R">{{cite web |title=Profile of Kiyonga Chrispus Walter Barrabusa, Former Member of Parliament for Bukonjo County West, Kasese District & Former Minister of Defence |url=http://specialforcescommand.go.ug/the-ugandan-minister-of-defense-hon-dr-crispus-walter-kiyonga/ |date=2018 |access-date=18 April 2019 |publisher=Uganda Special Forces Command (UPDF-SFC) |author=UPDF-SFC |location=Entebbe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418164056/http://specialforcescommand.go.ug/the-ugandan-minister-of-defense-hon-dr-crispus-walter-kiyonga/ |archive-date=18 April 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Kasese District Category:Rwenzururu sub-region Category:Populated places in Western Region, Uganda Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo–Uganda border crossings Category:Cities in the Great Rift Valley