When to book your accommodation in North Uganda
If you thought the war ravaged North Uganda has no good left in it..... !
Think again!
Because, as peace begins to prevail, many unemployed Ugandans and Foreigners have found the recent LRA insurgency in the Northern region a blessing in disguise. So many have been employed to undertake projects geared at rehabilitating the people and the Infrastructure in this region.
Gulu is the major commercial and administrative center in North Uganda. The people in Northern Uganda are predominantly Acholi. Other large towns in Acholiland include Kitgum and Pader. The Acholi language is a Western Nilotic language, classified as Luo.
The Song of Lawino, one of the most successful African literary works, was written by Okot p'Bitek in Acholi, and later translated to English.
During Uganda's colonial period, the British encouraged political and economic development in the south of the country, in particular among the Baganda. In contrast, the Acholi and other northern ethnic groups supplied much of the national manual labor and came to comprise a majority of the military, creating what some have called a military ethnocracy. This reached its height with the coup d'état of Acholi General Tito Okello, and came to a crashing end with the defeat of Okello and the Acholi-dominated army by the National Resistance Army led by now-President Yoweri Museveni.
The Acholi are known to the outside world mainly because of the insurgency of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony, an Acholi from Gulu. LRA's activities have been concentrated within Acholiland, and populous Acholi remain internally displaced persons.
Gulu town is home to a government military base for operations against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. Before the cessation of hostilities between the government troops and the LRA, up to 15,000 children, known as night commuters, were fleeing into the town for safety every evening.
Business Activities in North Uganda
Gulu is the economic capital of North Uganda. The town is served by Gulu Airport. The last 21 years have been war ridden, with many attacks by the LRA. However, since the spring of 2007, there has been relative peace since Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, moved to Garamba National Forest, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as reported in the Uganda press.. These times of tranquility have brought much needed peace to the area and the town of Gulu is beginning to thrive economically again.
There are three hospitals providing services to Gulu town:
Gulu is the base of several radio stations including Choice FM which broadcasts daily to an estimated 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 listeners each evening. Other radio stations in Gulu include Mega FM 102.1, Radio Four 89.4, King FM 90.2, Childcare International 91.5 & 98.9, Norah Radio 92.1,UBC Radio 102.1 &103.1 and Radio Maria 105.7.
There are still many Internally Displaced Peoples' camps (IDP) throughout the area, where an estimated 1 million people are still living. Peace has also brought a lot of help from the International community in terms of Non-Government Organizations. These NGOs are helping the community in various ways by providing food, medical help and rehabilitation centers for formerly abducted children. The NGOs have also created many jobs in the area.
And this is where you can come in... There is still a great opportunity for you to own an NGO in Northern Uganda.
Gulu is also the home of Gulu University, which has a wide range of programs ranging from agriculture to medicine, business management and conflict resolution.
Traveling to Northern Uganda
When traveling to North Uganda and you have limited time off. Charter a plane and you will land at Gulu Airport in less than 2 hours from Entebbe. Thereafter you can board a vehicle and travel by road.
You need a minimum of 8 hours if you're to travel by road from Kampala, Uganda's capital, to Gulu. Take this option if you're working on a tight budget or when you want to enjoy the scenery along the roadside as you travel.
Hotel accommodation in North Uganda
Acholi inn is one of the few hotels in Uganda that have stood the taste of time. Started in 1936, Acholi inn located in Northern Uganda about 500 meters north of Gulu town. The inn was part of the famous Uganda Hotels that was commissioned by the British and later run by the Government of Uganda.However in 1995, it was taken over by a private limited company called LAOO ltd through the privatisation scheme that was embarked on by the government. This was in pursuit of improving and re-branding the image of Acholi inn.
Acholi in is currently the best and biggest hotel in Northern Uganda.
The hotel offers all services that available in a mid priced Uganda hotel.
Has a Healthclub, swimming pool, conference facilities, a resturant serving inter-continental dishes and an internet cafe.
ROOM RATES: USD 40- USD 90