Chairman's welcome remarks
On behalf of Rakai District and on my own behalf I welcome you to this district website and congratulate the people of Rakai upon being connected to the treasured global village. I urge you to utilize this service to the maximum.
I must thank the Uganda Communications Commission which some years ago designed and established websites for all districts in Uganda, though Rakai could not utilize the service due to inadequate resources. I therefore thank the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for funding the redesigning and upgrading of this useful utility.
The usefulness of this district website cannot be overemphasized. Information is very critical in planning and development not only for the nation but also for our local governments. Apart from exposing the people of one locality to the external world, it opens doors for various stakeholders and development partners to what has so far been achieved, challenges and development potentials. It therefore can act as a basis for development.
It is against such a background that I find it prudent to highlight on the existing conditions that can steer development since the achievements registered will be dealt with in the respective departments under the detailed district profile.
The international boundary the district shares with Tanzania can provide market for goods and services produced while the district is interconnected with a wide network of roads ranging from community to feeder roads and trunk roads. It is also linked to the international highway connecting Tanzania and Uganda which has been upgraded and experiencing increased volume of goods.
Some of the major towns in the district are connected to the national electricity grid. We are also hopeful that other centres will be connected in the near future.
The district is endowed with cheap labour that can support production in both agriculture and industrial sector. The available labour is a combination of unskilled, semiskilled and a few skilled personnel. However more skilled labour can be outsourced within the country and from neighbouring Tanzania.
Rakai has not experienced any political insurgency for the last three decades. This has enabled it to attract investors in agriculture, fisheries, service and other sectors.
With the liberalization of the telecommunication sector, and just like some other districts in Uganda, Rakai has experienced increased coverage and usage of communication services. Most of its major towns are covered by cell phone, internet and mass media services.
In terms of climate, the mean annual rainfall varies from 1,350mm to 2,125mm. Two dry seasons occur with the more pronounced one running from June to September and the other between December and February. The district generally records around 25 C mean annual maximum temperatures. The eastern parts record a mean annual minimum of 17.5 C while it decreases to around 15 C to the west. Relative humidity ranges between 80 and 90% in the morning and decreases to between 61% and 66% in the afternoons during January and May. From June to August the morning recordings decrease to around 56% and 57%. This makes the district a favourable place for tourism and agriculture.
Rakai is also endowed with a rich natural environment ranging from high forests, savannah grassland forests and man-made forests. The vegetation of Rakai District is as varied as the different ecosystems that characterize the area. It ranges from the medium altitude forests on the shores of Lake Victoria, through swamps to savannahs. Three broad categories can be used to classify the vegetation of the district, namely: forests, swamps and savannahs. The forests of Rakai cover about 363.8 sq km. The major forests (total of 151 sq km) are found in the Sango Bay area in the southern part of the district. They occupy part of the Kagera River floodplain and are surrounded by swamps and seasonally flooded grasslands. The vegetation provides potential for ecotourism.
The district is richly endowed with various tourism and cultural sites like lakes, rivers, and natural forests, strange islands of Musambwa with great potentials for avi-tourism of both native and migratory bird species from America, Europe and Asia. The cultural leaders’ tombs and palace do also offer great tourist attractive sites.
However this does not mean that there are no development challenges. Rakai was the first district in Uganda to be hit by HIV/AIDS in 1982 and has since retarded development in the district. The current prevalence is 12%, almost twice the national one of 6.4%. The scourge has had negative effects of mortality, morbidity, labour productivity and family setting.
Agriculture is the most predominant economic activity with 76.7% of the population engaged in subsistence farming. Most of the farmers are using rudimentary tools like hoes and pangas to make a living. As a result there is low food production. The limited agricultural products fetch low prices because of failure to sell in the international market. The district lacks an inland port neither is it closely located to an international airport.
Over the past years Rakai District has been working with the Uganda Government, development partners and the private sector to enhance sustainable development. Through various collaborations, the district attained growth in social, public and service sectors. We hope that the district website will attract real economic development and achieve all the eight millennium development goals and a basis for meaningful development. It will ease the work of Rakai leadership, both technical and political, and other stakeholders in spearheading development for the district.
Ssemakula Vincent Ssettuba
DISTRICT CHAIRPERSON