Ankole (Mbarara) District was founded in 1901. The abolition of Ankole federal and kingdom government in 1967, gave rise to Mbarara District Local Government (MDLG).

It is the main town of Ankole District became a township in 1957. Following the Coup of 1972, the name Ankole District was changed to Mbarara District, and the township was transformed into a municipality in 1974.

In 1973, Bushenyi District was created out of this district. In 1995 Ntungamo District was created and in 2002, the sub-county of Itojo, was added to Ntungamo District.

In 2005, the boundary was significantly reduced and the district was further split into three other district Local Governments namely, Isingiro (comprised of Bukanga and Isingiro counties), Kiruhura (comprised of Nyabushozi and Kazo counties) and Ibanda (comprised of Ibanda County).

The sub-division left the current Mbarara with three counties of Kashari, Rwampara and Mbarara municipality. Recently, in August 2015, Parliament passed a resolution to create Rwampara District out of the district, effective 1st July 2019.

Based on that decision, Mbarara District boundaries will further be altered to include Kashari County and Mbarara Municipality.

The district was named after its municipal center, the city of Mbarara, where the district headquarters is located. It is said that the word ‘Mbarara’ is derived from a common type of grass in Mbarara known as ‘emburara’

Mbarara Location

The district is the administrative capital of southwestern Uganda. The district boarders Ibanda and Kiruhura Districts to the north; Kiruhura and Isingiro Districts to the east; Isingiro and Ntungamo Districts to the south; and Sheema District to the west.

The district headquarters is located 270 kilometers (170 miles), by road, southwest of the capital city, Kampala.

Size and population

This district lies between coordinates 00 36S, 30 36E and covers an area of 1,846.4 km2. It has a population of 474,144 of which females are 244,243 (52%) and the urban population is 195,013 (41.1%).

There is a declining rate in population growth from 2.58% (1991-2002) to 2.26% (2002-2014). With an average household size of 4.1 (the smallest in western Uganda) there are 113,164 households in Mbarara.

Climate and landscape

Mbarara district receives an average annual rainfall of 1,200mm with two rainy seasons, during the months of February-May and September-December. Temperature ranges between 170C to 300C, with a humidity range of 80-90%.

The topography is a mixture of fairly rolling and sharp hills and mountains, shallow valleys and flat land. The soils are generally sandy, clay and slightly laterite loams, suitable for cultivation.