Hoima

Hoima is a municipal town in Western Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Hoima District in Uganda. It is also the location of the palace of the Omukama of Bunyoro.

Location

Hoima is located approximately 225 kilometres (140 mi), by road, northwest of Kampala, Uganda's largest city, on an all-weather tarmac highway. The coordinates of the town are:1°25'55.0"N 31°21'09.0"E (Latitude:1.431944; Longitude:31.352500).

Population

According to the 2002 national census, the population of Hoima was about 27,930. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), estimated the population of the town at 40,600. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population of Hoima at 42,600. On 27 August 2014, the national population census put Hoima's population at 100,625.

Economic activity

Between 2000 and 2009, a considerable amount of oil deposits, estimated at between 2.5 billion to 3.5 billion barrels have been discovered in Lake Albert and on the shores of the lake, in Hoima District and neighboring Buliisa District. An oil refinery, the Uganda Oil Refinery, is planned in Kabaale Village, Buseruka Sub-county, Hoima District, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Hoima. An oil pipeline, the Uganda-Kenya Crude Oil Pipeline, is also planned to evacuate crude oil to the Kenyan Indian Ocean port of Lamu. Consequently, Hoima is poised to become a beehive of economic activity, as a result of the discovery of oil in the neighborhood.