Kira Town

Kira Town, a municipality in the Wakiso District of the Central Region of Uganda, is the country's second-largest city by population. It is administered by the Kira Town Council, an urban local government.[4]

Kira
Kira
Location in Uganda
Coordinates: 00°23′50″N 32°38′20″E
Country Uganda
RegionCentral Region
DistrictWakiso District
Parliamentary ConstituencyKira Municipality
Government
 • MayorJulius Mutebi Nsubuga[1]
 • Member of ParliamentIbrahim Ssemujju Nganda[2]
Area
 • Total38.16 sq mi (98.83 km2)
Elevation
3,900 ft (1,190 m)
Population
 (2014 Census)
 • Total317,157[3]
 • Density4,712/sq mi (1,819.3/km2)

Location

Kira town council was elevated to Municipal level by an Act of Parliament and became operational in financial year 2016/2017 under vote 781, . Kira Municipality is bordered by Gayaza to the north, Mukono to the east, Lake Victoria to the south, Kampala to the west, and Kasangati to the north-west. The town is approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north-east of the central business district of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.[5] The coordinates of the town are 0°23'50.0"N, 32°38'26.0"E (Latitude:0.397237; Longitude:32.640557).[6] The town is approximately 98 square kilometres (24,000 acres) in size.[7]

Administration

Kira Municipality is made up of three Divisions of Namugongo, Kira and Bweyogere which are further divided into six administrative parishes. These are:[4]

The political head of the Municipality is the His Worship the Mayor. Julius Mutebi Nsubuga and Technical head is Mr. Yiga Benon as the Municipal Town Clerk. Each division is politically led by the Chairperson and a Senior Assistant Town Clerk as the Technical head at that leavel [8] The supreme policy-making organ is the Municipal Council, composed of 17 elected councillors.[8]

Population

Kira Municipality is the largest town (municipality) in Uganda by population.[9] The town is the second-largest urban center in the country, after Kampala.[3]

The population of Kira Town has grown at a relatively rapid rate compared to the national average over the last decade. Part of the rapid growth is attributable to the town's proximity to Kampala.[3] Kira is a bedroom community for Kampala.[7][10][11]

The national census in 2002 estimated Kira's population to be 140,774 people, of whom 67,222 (47.8 percent) were males and 73,548 (52.2 percent) were females. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated the mid-year 2010 population to be 172,300 and the mid-year 2011 population to be 179,800.[12] The town planner, however, estimated the population to be 300,000 in 2010.[13] In August 2014, the national population census put the population at 313,761.[3]

Economic activities

A large number of young adults are engaged in boda boda (motorcycle and bicycle) for-hire transportation.[14] Increasingly, residents of Kira Town are employed in salaried and non-salaried positions in the city of Kampala and return to Kira in the evenings to sleep.[7][10] The Kampala Industrial and Business Park, an 894 hectares (2,210 acres) business development park developed by the Uganda Investment Authority at a cost of about US$180 million (about UGX:470.5 billion), is located at Namanve in Bweyogerere Ward in extreme southeastern Kira Town.[15]

Sites of interest

Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs at Namugongo
Main article: Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs, Namugongo

The Catholic Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs has been built at Namugongo in Kyaliwajjala Ward, where the majority of the 22 Catholic Uganda Martyrs (now Saints) were burned alive on the orders of Ssekabaka Mwanga II in the late 19th century.[16] An Anglican shrine, administered by the Church of Uganda, is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the basilica, at the site where another group of martyrs were murdered for their beliefs.[17]

Kabaka's Palace at Kireka

Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and the Nnabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Nagginda, maintain a palace on Kireka Hill, in Kireka Ward.[18]

Mandela National Stadium
Main article: National Stadium (Uganda)

Mandela National Stadium is the largest stadium in Uganda, with a sitting capacity of 45,202 people.[19] It is at Namboole, in Bweyogerere Ward.[20]

Infrastructure

Kampala Northern Bypass Highway
Main article: Kampala Northern Bypass Highway

The Kampala Northern Bypass Highway, also referred to as the Northern Bypass, is the first dual-carriage interstate highway to be built in Uganda. It forms an incomplete circle around the north-east, north, and north-west of the city of Kampala. The northern and eastern portion of the highway traverses Bweyogerere and Kireka wards, in Kira Town.[21]

Umeme electricity substation

In 2015, the electricity distribution company Umeme built a 40 megaVolt-ampere substation in the Nsasa neighborhood of Kira Town, at a cost of US$7 million (UGX:24 billion). This substation is expected to stabilize the electricity grid and reduce power losses in this fast-growing urban area. Constructing the substation cost US$5 million, while US$2 million was spent on the erection of feeder lines.[22][23]

Other public health issues

The Public Health Department of Kira Municipality is determined to improve the living conditions of its citizens, through detailed attention to sanitation, provision of safe drinking water, safe disposal of human and other waste, and the maintenance of hygiene in schools, markets, and other public places. Plans are underway to formulate minimum acceptable hygiene standards for private and public buildings and open spaces.[7][24]

Poverty eradication

Efforts are underway to assist citizens in starting income-producing activities, including growing mushrooms.[25]

Education

A number of first class primary and secondary schools are in the town.[26]

In January 2011, the Shimoni Core Primary Teachers' College opened at Kitikifumba village in Kira Town. The college, formerly located on Nakasero Hill in Kampala, was established by the British government in 1952. In 2006, the former location was sold to an investor to construct the Kampala Intercontinental Hotel. The new location occupies 25 acres (10 ha). The facilities can accommodate approximately 450 students. The new college cost approximately UGX:8 billion to build.[27]

In 2011, St. Augustine International University (SAIU), a private, multi-campus university, received a provisional license from the Uganda National Council for Higher Education.[28] SAIU is one of a number of private universities accredited between 2010 and 2014. It maintains a campus at Namugongo, where it hosts its College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.[29]

Notable people

Photos

References
  1. "HIS WORSHIP JULIUS MUTEBI NSUBUGA | Kira Municipal Council". www.kiramc.go.ug. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  2. Kiggundu, Edris (19 October 2012). "MP Ssemujju Nganda Violently Arrested". The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  3. UBOS (27 August 2014). "The Population of The Regions of the Republic of Uganda And All Cities And Towns of More Than 15,000 Inhabitants". Citypopulation.de Quoting Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  4. Seguya, Pius. "Kira Town Municipality". Wordpress.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  5. Globefeed.com (25 April 2016). "Distance between Kampala Road, Kampala, Central Region, Uganda and Kira Town, Central Region, Uganda". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  6. Google (25 April 2016). "Location of Kira Town" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  7. Kaketo, Moses (24 April 2015). "Kira Town Council Risks Same Problems Kampala Is Facing". Linkedin.com. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  8. Mukisa Philemon Kirunda (December 2009). "Public Participation In Solid Waste Management: Challenges And Prospects. A Case of Kira Municipal Council, Uganda (Thesis for Master of Science at the University of Agder, Kristianstad, Norway)" (PDF). University of Agder. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  9. Kijjambu, Ronnie (4 July 2007). "Mugerwa Urges Town Councils To Co-operate". New Vision. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  10. Omongin, Emmy (18 December 2013). "Know Your Hood - Bulindo, A Suburb Sprouting From Farmland". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Kampala. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  11. Ogwang, Joel (15 September 2013). "Uganda: Want A House? Build Rentals First". New Vision via AllAfrica.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  12. "Estimated Population of Kira Town In 2002, 2010 & 2011" (PDF). Uganda Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. Okwera, Oyet (6 August 2010). "The Rise And Rise of Kyaliwajjala (Town Planner Estimates Population of Kira Town At 300,000 In 2012". New Vision. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  14. Ssemujju, Ibrahim Nganda (22 April 2015). "How To Stop Boda Bodas From Finishing Our Youths". The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  15. Kagolo, Francis (13 February 2013). "UIA needs sh470b to expedite Namanve Industrial Park". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  16. "About The Uganda Martyrs". Buganda.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  17. UMM-COU (2015). "Uganda Martyrs Museum Namugongo - Church of Uganda". Uganda Martyrs Museum - Church of Uganda (UMM-COU). Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  18. Ikwap, Emma (21 November 2012). "Know Your Hood : Kireka, The Suburb That Never Goes To Sleep". Daily Monitor (Kampala). Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  19. SDBC (May 2015). "Nelson Mandela National Stadium (Namboole)". Stadiumdb.com (SDBC). Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  20. Odeng, Michael (26 January 2015). "Namboole Stadium Sues Pioneer Bus Company Over Parking Fees". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  21. Bagala, Andrew (6 November 2014). "UShs200 Billion Northern Bypass Expansion Project Kicks Off". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  22. Muhumuza, Mark Keith (23 December 2015). "Umeme issues Shs340b investment plan". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  23. African Review Magazine (29 December 2015). "Umeme Limited nears completion of substation for Ugandan township". London: African Review Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  24. Mukwaya, Idd (10 December 2008). "Kira Must Not Be Entangled In Kampala's Chaos". New Vision. Kampala. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  25. Jordan, Christina (13 March 2010). "LiA Kireka Mushroom Project". Lifeinarica2.com. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  26. Summit Business Staff (2015). "Kira Town Council Poorly Planned". Summit Business Magazine (Kampala). Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  27. Talemwa, Moses (9 January 2011). "New Shimoni campus opens". The Observer (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  28. UNCHE. "Uganda National Council for Higher Education: Private Universities". Kampala: Uganda National Council for Higher Education (UNCHE). Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  29. Conan Businge, and Gloria Nakajubi (25 March 2013). "Uganda Registers New Private University". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  30. SNIS. "Arthur Sserwanga: Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  31. Emmanuel Ainebyoona, and Winnie Tabitha (13 February 2015). "IUIU Launches Habib Medical School". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
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