RUKUNGIRI DISTRICT

Rukungiri is a land of cultural diversity. Sometimes referred to as the land of the Bahororo, the district is home to many Ugandan and African nationalities including the Bakiga, Banyankore, and people of Rwandese and Congolese decent.

These heterogeneous nationalities have become more homogenous over the years to develop a multi-ethnic society with a very rich culture. The main lingua other than English the official language is Runyankore-Rukiga, whose many dialects are mutually intelligible in western Uganda and the great lakes region of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania.

Any visitor to this part Uganda will be enchanted by the rich cultural practices and the hospitality of the people. 
There are many cultural activities in the district in which the people are engaged mainly for aesthetic value but also for addressing development challenges. This melting pot of culture is also vital for social-economic development through performances including music dance and drama.

The Department of Gender and Community Services has a vigorous community mobilization programme aimed at addressing development challenges in agricultural productivity, adult literacy and HIV/Aids prevention.

Rukungiri district also realized early enough the significance of the hitherto marginalized groups (women youth and people with disabilities) in the process of development. Thus for instance in politics there is representation of these groups from the lowest level to the district.

Women are viewed as being particularly important in improving agricultural productivity in view of the fact that over 80% of the population is agrarian and engaged in farming.
 Women, youth and groups of people with disabilities are playing a critical role under the governments programme of national agricultural advisory services NAADS.