Mbale is a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region.[3]
Location
Mbale is approximately 225 kilometres (140 mi) northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capital city, on an all-weather tarmac highway.[4] The city lies at an average elevation of 1,156 metres (3,793 ft) above sea level.[5]
The coordinates of the city are 1°04'50.0"N, 34°10'30.0"E (Latitude:1.080556; Longitude:34.175000).[6] The city is on the railway from Tororo to Pakwach. Mount Elgon, one of the highest peaks in East Africa, is approximately 48 kilometres (30 mi), north-east of Mbale, by road.[7]
Population
According to the 2002 census, the population of Mbale was about 71,130. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 81,900. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 91,800.[8] The 2014 population census put the population at 96,189.[1]
Mbale was formally linked with the town of Pontypridd, Wales through local and regional twinning ceremonies in 2005. The link was intended to associate professionals and organizations in Pontypridd with their counterparts in Africa, under the auspices of the charity known as the Partnerships Overseas Networking Trust.[9]
Points of interest
The following points of interest lie within the city limits or close to its borders:
In 2019 the Cabinet of Uganda, resolved to award Mbale, city status effective July 2021.[10] In November of the same year, Cabinet revised the date of city status to 1 July 2020.[11]
Notable people
John Wasikye: Anglican Bishop, was Murdered After Liberation of Kampala, April 11, 1979
Walter de Sousa Field Hockey player for Indian hockey team. He was born in Mbale, Uganda and spent his early childhood here where his father was working under the colonial administration.
Dani Wadada Nabudere (15 December 1932 – 9 November 2011) was a Ugandan academic, Pan-Africanist, lawyer, politician, author, political scientist, and development specialist.