Apac District

Overview

Apac is a district of farmers, fishers and history. It was one of the two districts formed in 1974 and has since given birth to three more: Oyam (2006), Kole (2010) and Kwania (2018). Its main town, Apac, lies about 62 km south-west of Lira.

Apac is best known across Uganda as the home district of Dr. Apollo Milton Obote, who was born at Akokoro in 1925. His ancestral home and monument are recognised as a national heritage site.

People & demography

The 2024 census counted 221,962 people in Apac District; Apac Municipality itself had about 49,600. The figures are lower than in the past because several large areas were taken out to form Kwania and Kole districts. Reports on the district describe a population that is overwhelmingly rural and Lango-speaking.

Economy & livelihoods

Subsistence farming supports roughly 80% of households, and women do much of the work. The main crops are tobacco, cotton, sesame, maize, beans, sunflower, potatoes, cassava and groundnuts. In the south, near Lake Kwania (part of the Lake Kyoga system), fishing is an important livelihood and fish farming is emerging. Cattle and goats are common. Trade dominates the small formal business sector.

Places to visit

• Obote ancestral home and monument, Akokoro – a national heritage site managed with the Uganda Tourism Board.
• Lake Kwania shoreline – fishing landings, wetlands and birdlife in the south of the district.
• Village cultural events and traditional dances.

History

Akokoro and the country around it are closely tied to the political rise of Dr. Obote, and Apac was one of the two districts created when the colonial-era Lango District was divided in 1974. Since then its territory has been divided repeatedly as new districts were formed.