About Mpondwe

Mpondwe is a town in Western Region, Uganda.
  
Location
Mpondwe is located in the Rwenzori Mountains, in Kasese District, Western Uganda. The town lies at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bwera is another settlement to the immediate east of Mpondwe border crossing. The Mpondwe Town Council incorporates Bwera and in this article Mpondwe refers to the combined Mpondwe-Bwera metropolitan area.
Mpondwe is located approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi), by road, southwest of Kasese, the district headquarters This location lies approximately 390 kilometres (240 mi), 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 (Latitude:0.0400; Longitude:29.7250).
  
Overview
Mpondwe is a busy border town in Western Uganda at its border with the DRC. In 2005, the town was the busiest border crossing between Uganda and DRC, based on volume of exports and imports.See table below:

Uganda Border Towns' Market Share of Crossborder Trade in 2005

Rank	Border Town	Share of Exports	Share of Imports
1	Busia	42.7%	54.3%
2	Mpondwe	25.0%	10.6%
3	Malaba	7.8%	19.9%
4	Paidha	9.3%	2.2%
5	Others	15.2 %	13.0 %
	Total	100.0%	100.0%

The road from Mpondwe all the way to Kampala is all-weather tarmac. On the Congolese side of the border, the road from the border town of Kasindi to Beni is murram. From Beni, the highway continues south to Bukavu and west to Kisangani. 

Population
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population of Mpondwe at 14,900 in 2008. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population of the town at 16,700^. 

Landmarks
The landmarks within the town limits or close to the edges of town include:

• The offices of Uganda Revenue Authority
• Bwera Hospital - A 120 bed public Hospital, administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health
• Mpondwe Central Market
• The offices of Mpondwe-Bwera Town Council
• The International Border Crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

Other points of interest
The following points of interest also lie within or near the town:

• A branch of Equity Bank Uganda - Located in Downtown Bwera
• A branch of Stanbic Bank Uganda - Located in Downtown Bwera

 

Travel Information

Here are some basic travel facts about Mpondwe in a single report for your convenience.

Languages spoken:

English, Ganda, Swahili (generic), Arabic

Local electricity:

240V - 50Hz

Mobile phone / cellular frequencies:

900 Mhz

Decimal Coordinates:

0.095 and 29.765 (Lat./Lng.)

Coordinates by Time:

N 0° 5' 42" and E 29° 45' 54"

Distance from Capital:

194 miles (or 312 kilometres) West

Closest Airports:

Kasese Airport

Mbarara Airport

Currency and Currency Code:

Shilling - UGX

Sunrise and Sunset:

7:11 am and 7:13 pm

 

• Near Cities & Places
• Vehamba
• Mosenda
• Kasindi
• Isango-Isoro
• Butembo
• Beni
• Kilembe
• Kampala
• Fort Porta