| Official Name: | Bugongi |
| Pushpin Map: | Uganda |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Uganda Placement on map is approximate |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Uganda |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Uganda |
| Subdivision Type2: | Sub-region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kigezi sub-region |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Kabale District |
| Subdivision Type4: | City |
| Subdivision Name4: | Kabale |
| Subdivision Type5: | City Division |
| Subdivision Name5: | Kabale Northern Division |
| Leader Title: | Division Chairman |
| Leader Name: | Isaac Mucunguzi Rushoga |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population As Of: | 2014 Census |
| Population Total: | 36000 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Coordinates: | -1.2456°N 29.9881°W |
| Elevation Ft: | 5935 |
Bugongi is a neighborhood in the town of Kabale, the largest urban center and district headquarters of Kabale District in Uganda.[1]
Bugongi is located in the Northern Division in the town of Kabale, approximately 2km (01miles) north of the town's central business district.[2] The geographical coordinates of the Bugingo neighborhood are: 01°14'44.0"S, 29°59'17.0"E (Latitude:-1.245556; Longitude:29.988056).
Lower Bugongi Ward is located at an average elevation of 1809m (5,935feet), above sea level.[3]
In 2012, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated the population of Bugongi at 25,000.[1] The national population census and household survey of 2014, enumerated the neighborhood's population at 36,000.[1]
Bugongi is divided into Upper Bugongi Ward, whose Local Council 1 (LC1) chairperson is Eric Kalemera, and Lower Bugongi Ward, chaired by Joyce Ndibwami, at the LC1 administrative level.[1]
In the past, circa 2005 and before, Bugongi had a bad reputation as a slum neighborhood, infiltrated by thieves, prostitutes, and marijuana smokers.[1] However, since then, new improved residences have been built, the number of churches has increased and the new educational institutions in the neighborhood have attracted students and improved the neighborhood's reputation and standards of living.[1] The neighborhood is connected to the national electricity grid and is serviced by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation.[1]
Bugongi is home to two medical facilities: (a) Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, the 280-bed teaching hospital of Kabale University School of Medicine and (b) Rugarama Hospital, the 150-bed community hospital administered by the Church of Uganda.[1] [4]
Many students reside in the neighborhood, mostly in apartments attached to residential houses. Only recently, has the construction of student hostels started in Bugongi.Land for sale is available, with a plot selling for between UShs25 million (US$6,800) and UShs50 million (US$13,600), depending on the location. A lot sells for between UShs80 million (US$22,000) and Shs200 million (US$54,500).[1]
Upper Bugongi is home to several educational institutions, including (a) the Kabale campus of Bishop Barham University College of Uganda Christian University (b) the campus of Kigezi High School and (c) the clinical campus of Kabale University School of Medicine.[1]
The min road through the neighborhood is Bugongi Road. Until 2018, most of the roads in the neighborhood were murram-surfaced. As of August 2018, the Kabale Town Council had started improvement of some of the roads to tarmac.[1]
In the 2010s, Bugongi Central Market was undergoing renovations and modernization,[1] albeit with varying degrees of community resistance.[5]
Doctor Ruhakana Rugunda, the current Prime Minister of Uganda was born in Bugongi and he maintains an ancestral home in the neighborhood.[1]
