Fort Portal


Fort Portal is a designated "Tourism city of Uganda", located in the Western Region of the country. It is the seat of both Kabarole District and the Toro Kingdom.

Location

Fort Portal is located about, north-west of Mbarara, the largest city in the Western Region. This is approximately by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, on an all-tarmac two-lane highway. The coordinates of Fort Portal are 0°39'16.0"N, 30°16'28.0"E. Fort Portal is situated at an average elevation of above sea level.

Population

According to the 2002 national census, the population of Fort Portal was about 41,000. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated the population at 46,300. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population at 47,100. In August 2014, the national population census put the population at 54,275.

Healthcare

Fort Portal is home to three hospitals. Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, a 300-bed public hospital administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health is the largest. The next-largest is Holy Family Virika Hospital, a private hospital with a bed capacity of 155, owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal. The smallest of the hospitals is the 100-bed Kabarole Missionary Hospital, a community hospital administered by the Church of Uganda, originally founded by John Edward Church of the Church Mission Society.

Education

The town houses three institutions of higher learning. The main campus of Mountains of the Moon University, a private university, is located in the city center. Also located within the city is the main campus of Uganda Pentecostal University, a private university affiliated with the Pentecostal Movement. St. Mary's Minor Seminary, a Catholic secondary school for prospective Catholic priests, is also located in Fort Portal. A new university, the Fins Medical University, was established in the city in 2018.

Notable people