Mpondwe


Mpondwe is a town in the Western Region of Uganda.

Location

Mpondwe is located in the Rwenzori Mountains in Kasese District. The town is at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 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.
Mpondwe is approximately, by road, south-west of Kasese, where the district headquarters are located. This location is approximately, by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The coordinates of the town are 0° 02' 24.00"N, 29° 43' 30.00"E.

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.

Population

In 2002, the national population census estimated the population of Mpondwe at 12,050. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated the population at 16,100. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 16,700. The national census in August 2014 put the population at 51,018.

One Stop Border Post

In March 2018, The Independent reported that the government of Uganda, had secured a loan of US$14 million, 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 and a Border Export Zone at Mpondwe. The OSBP was officially opened on Thursday 17 April 2019, by president Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

Points of interest

The following points of interest lie within the town limits or close to the edges of town: