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Soroti Solot
Soroti
Soroti Main Street
SorotiLocation in Uganda
Coordinates: 01°42′54″N 33°36′40″E / 1.71500°N 33.61111°E / 1.71500; 33.61111
Country	Uganda
Region	Eastern Region of Uganda
Sub-region	Teso sub-region
District	Soroti District
Government
• Type	City Council
• Mayor	Mr. Paul Omer
• Chief Administrative Officer	Mr. Moses Otimong
Elevation	3,710 ft (1,130 m)
Population
• Total	60,900
Website	soroticity.go.ug

Soroti is a city in Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main city, commercial, and administrative center in Soroti District, one of the nine administrative districts in the Teso sub-region. Soroti city was immediately approved for operationalization ahead of schedule by the Parliament of Uganda in the Financial Year 2020/2021.

History

In the late Uganda–Tanzania War, Soroti suffered from lootings as well as mass killings committed by fleeing Uganda Army troops. When the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) and the Tanzania People's Defence Force's 7th Battalion captured the town as part of the Eastern Uganda campaign of 1979, they found it plundered and discovered the corpses of about 50 civilians. The local Radio Uganda station was left mostly undamaged, however, and was quickly broadcasting again.

In the last phase of the Ugandan Bush War in early 1986, the area around Soroti became the site of heavy fighting. Rebelling UNLA troops and Karamojong militias ambushed retreating loyalist UNLA forces in the area, and later blocked the Awoja Bridge near Soroti. On 12 February 1986, Soroti itself was captured by the National Resistance Army (NRA) as part of its efforts to conquer northern Uganda.

Geography

Soroti City is surrounded by Soroti District, of the Teso sub-region, in the Eastern Region of Uganda, lying north of Lake Kyoga. Soroti is approximately 103 kilometres (64 mi), by road, northwest of the city of Mbale, the largest urban centre in Uganda's Eastern Region. Soroti lies on the Tororo–Mbale–Soroti Road or Lira-Mbale route, approximately 326 kilometres (203 mi), by road, northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The coordinates of Soroti are 1°42'54.0"N, 33°36'40.0"E (Latitude:1.715000; Longitude:33.611111). Soroti lies at an average elevation of 1,130 metres (3,707 ft) above mean sea level.

Climate

Population

The 1969 national population census enumerated the population of Soroti at 12,398. In 1980, the population had increased to 15,048. During the 1991 national census, Soroti's population was 40,970. In August 2014, the national population census put Soroti's population at 49,685. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the mid-year population of Soroti in 2020, at 60,900. The table below illustrates the data in tabular format.

Education

Soroti hosts the main campus of Soroti University, a public institution of higher education, located in the suburb of Arapai. Soroti is also home to secondary campuses of Kumi University, and Kyambogo University. Soroti Secondary School is one of the biggest day school in Teso.

Transport

Soroti is connected to Mbale and Lira via the tarmacked Tororo–Mbale–Soroti Road and Soroti–Dokolo–Lira Road. The recently completed Soroti–Katakwi–Moroto–Lokitanyala Road connects the town to Moroto, in extreme northeastern Uganda. The Soroti–Amuria–Abim–Kotido Road, remains gravel surfaced, as of July 2020.

Soroti is also served by Soroti Airport, lying approximately 3.5 kilometres (2 mi), by road, northeast of the central business district of the town.

Points of interest

The following points of interest are located in Soroti or near the town limits: 1. The headquarters of Soroti District Administration 2. The offices of Soroti Town Council 3. A branch of the National Social Security Fund 4. Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, a 275-bed public hospital administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health 5. The main campus of Soroti University, a public institution of higher education 6. Teso College Aloet, an all-boys boarding secondary school 7. Lwala Soroti Hospital, a 135-bed, non-governmental hospital, administered by the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau 8. Soroti Solar Power Station, a privately owned solar power plant with generation capacity of 10 megawatts 9. Soroti Rock, a volcanic rock formation. 10. Soroti central market 11. The headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Soroti and 12. Tororo-Lira-Kamdini Highway, which passes through the center of town in a north-west/south-east direction.

Soroti is also home to Soroti Fruit Processing Factory, a joint venture between Uganda Development Corporation and Teso Tropical Fruit Growers Cooperative Union, built with assistance from Korea International Cooperation Agency and was opened in April 2019.

See also

• Soroti Rock
• Teso sub-region
• List of cities and towns in Uganda

Notes

1. When UNLA and TPDF soldiers discovered the mass grave at Soroti, UNLA officer Joseph Obonyo initially claimed that it contained "more than 200" corpses.

References

1. ^ Uganda Bureau of Statistics (14 June 2020). "The Population of The Regions of the Republic of Uganda And All Cities And Towns of More Than 15,000 Inhabitants". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
2. Xanthia Leni (24 May 2019). "Itesots Demand Soroti City Status". Kampala: PML Daily. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
3. Nile Post (11 August 2020). "Speaker Opens Soroti City". Kampala: Nile Post Uganda. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
4. Daily Monitor (31 July 2020). "Hoima, Soroti now cities as MPs rise to 531". Daily Monitor.
5. ^ Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 167.
6. Venter 1979, p. 29.
7. "Anti-Amin troops find mass graves in Uganda". Daily Kent Stater. AP. 10 May 1979. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
8. ^ "Jacket almost cost me life as UNLA soldiers fled Tororo". Daily Monitor. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
9. ^ Charles Mitchell (27 January 1986). "Tribal frictions surface in defeated Uganda army". UPI. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
10. Ondoga Ori Amaza 1998, p. 114.
11. "Deposed head of state Gen. Tito Okello said he..." United Press International. 13 February 1986. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
12. "Road Distance Between Mbale And Soroti" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
13. "Road Distance Between Kampala And Soroti" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
14. "Location of Soroti City, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
15. Flood Map (19 July 2020). "Elevation of Soroti". Floodmap.net. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
16. "World Weather Information Service". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
17. Simon Naulele (26 March 2019). "Soroti University to open in August". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
18. Schoolnet Uganda (19 July 2020). "Campuses of Kumi University". Kampala: Schoolnet Uganda. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
19. Apollo Mubiru (24 September 2019). "Kyambogo Opens Regional Learning Centers". New Vision. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
20. Joseph Elunya (12 July 2006). "Soroti Secondary School Teachers on Strike". Kampala: Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
21. Steven Ariong (18 December 2019). "Joy As Government Completes Soroti–Moroto Highway". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
22. Daniel Edyegu (6 November 2011). "Floods Hit Eastern Uganda". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
23. "Road Distance Between Soroti Downtown And Soroti Airport" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
24. George Muron (2 June 2020). "Tororo-Kamdini Roadworks Delayed Over Contractor Woes". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
25. Godfrey Ojore (12 April 2019). "New Soroti fruit factory employs hundreds". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 19 July 2020.

Works cited

• Avirgan, Tony; Honey, Martha (1983). War in Uganda: The Legacy of Idi Amin. Dar es Salaam: Tanzania Publishing House. ISBN 978-9976-1-0056-3.
• Venter, Al J. (September 1979). "Dateline: Uganda. SOF Staffer on the spot in Uganda". Soldier of Fortune. 4 (9). Soldier of Fortune: 28–29, 80–81.
• Ondoga Ori Amaza (1998). Museveni's Long March from Guerrilla to Statesman. Kampala: Fountain Publishers. ISBN 9970021354.

External links

• Soroti District Homepage
• About Soroti District
• Soroti District named one of the poorest in Uganda As of 10 February 2009.

v t e Soroti District
Capital: Soroti
Towns and villages	Soroti Arapai
Economy	Absa Bank Uganda Centenary Bank DFCU Bank PostBank Uganda Stanbic Bank Finance Trust Bank Opportunity Bank Uganda Pride Microfinance Limited National Social Security Fund Pela Commodities Soroti Fruit Processing Factory
Transport	Soroti Airport Soroti Railway Station Soroti–Dokolo–Lira Road Tororo–Mbale–Soroti Road Soroti–Amuria–Abim–Kotido Road Soroti–Katakwi–Moroto–Lokitanyala Road
Energy	Soroti Solar Power Station
Health	Soroti Regional Referral Hospital Lwala Soroti Hospital Princess Diana Memorial Hospital
Media	88.4 FM Voice of Teso Radio
Notable landmarks	Soroti Central Market Soroti Rock Roman Catholic Diocese of Soroti
Education	Soroti Campus of Uganda Martyrs University Soroti University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Soroti University Soroti Campus of Kumi University Soroti Campus of Busitema University Teso College Aloet East African Civil Aviation Academy Soroti Secondary School
Hospitality	Landmark Hotel Soroti Hotel Akello Hotel
Notable people	Grace Akello Mike Mukula Robert Ikoja-Odongo Angelline Osegge Anna Ebaju Adeke

• Populated places in Eastern Region, Uganda
• Soroti
• Soroti District