The National Resistance Movement (NRM) bigwigs in Kasese have asked the government to consider splitting the district into more two districts.
Map of Kasese in western Uganda
Led by the current Chairman LC5 Rev. Julius Kithaghenda, the NRM cadres say that with the increasing population, services are no longer reaching the beneficiaries appropriately. Kasese district has a population of about 800,000 people.
Kithaghenda proposes that if granted, the new districts should be named as Bwera in the western and Rwenzori in the eastern parts of greater Kasese.
However, the group opposed to the creation of new districts says that Kithaghenda and group are mere speculators.
They (opposed group) say that Kithaghenda who failed to go through NRM primaries last year want to create Rwenzori district where he can have political influence since he is a born of that area.
When a group led by Katabuka Katabarwa recently went to the Royal Palace (Bukihira) to inquire from the Omusinga (King) Wesley Mumbere Iremangoma about the district split, the King said that the issue should be put to a referendum before a decision is made.
Kasese district has a total surface area of 3,389.8 square kilometers of which about 37 percent is occupied by people and the rest is covered by Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mount Rwenzori National Park, Mount Rwenzori and government projects.