Uganda is home to a wide variety of wildlife, tropical rainforests, lakes, rivers, hills, and mountains. Some of the water that nourishes all of the different regions of the country comes from Uganda’s longest rivers.
Here are some of the longest rivers found in Uganda.
The Nile River
Through eastern Africa, the Nile River travels north to south. It originates from the rivers that empty into Lake Victoria (found in present-day Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya) and flows more than 6,600 kilometers (4,100 miles) to the north, where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. This makes it one of the longest rivers in the world. Ancient Egypt benefited greatly from the flow of the Nile River.
The Nile passes through or connects the borders of ten other African nations, in addition to Egypt, including Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. The Atbara, the Blue Nile, and the White Nile are its three main tributaries.
Sezibwa River
Central Uganda, in East Africa, is home to the Sezibwa River. The phrase “sizibwa kkubo”, which means “my path cannot be blocked,” is extracted from the Luganda language which gave rise to the name.
The River Sezibwa is situated in Uganda’s central southern region. It rises in the wetlands west of the Victoria Nile, between Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga, and runs always north before emptying into Lake Kyoga.
Kagera River
The Kagera River travels through Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, measuring a total of 249 miles (400 km) in length. The river’s source is Lake Rweru in Burundi, and it flows east along those two countries’ borders before crossing those of Tanzania and Rwanda.
Achwa river
Uganda, in eastern Africa, is home to the Achwa River. It travels through the northern central region of the nation, draining a large portion of the northern plateau and northeastern highlands of Uganda, before crossing the border into South Sudan, where it joins the White Nile. The Aswa River is its name in South Sudan.
Katonga River
The Katonga River is the longest river that flows entirely through Uganda, at a total of 137 miles (220 km). Due to the regional uplift of the land in the Albertine Rift, a component of the vast East African Rift system, the river’s catchment is now the swampy area found southwest of Lake Wamala.
Semliki river
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda in Central and East Africa, the Semliki River is a significant river that is 140 kilometers (87 mi) long. In the Albertine Rift, west of the Rwenzori Mountains, it runs north from Lake Edward to Lake Albert.
The Semuliki National Park is close to its lower parts, which are part of the international border between the DRC and Bundibugyo in western Uganda.
Kafu river
The second longest river that flows entirely through Uganda, the Kafu River is 112 miles (180 kilometers) long. The river rises by the Kitoma Swamp in the Kibaale District, flows east towards the Victorian Nile River, then turns north towards the town of Masindi Port in the Masindi District, where it empties into the Nile.
Muvumba river
The Muvumba River runs through southwest Uganda and northeastern Rwanda. The upper headwaters of the Nile include it. With a length of 170 km, it is one of Rwanda’s major rivers in terms of both size and economic significance.
In the high heights of north Rwanda and southwest Uganda, its upper stream supplies water for tea plantations. Its lower course supplies water to Nyagatare’s dry lands, enabling irrigation of rice fields and other crops in addition to providing water for cattle in this region for cattle farming.
Nkusi River
Uganda’s Western Region, in the Bunyoro subregion, is where the Nkusi River is located. The river is roughly 160 kilometers (99 miles) long. The Kakumiro District’s Nkusi River has its beginnings in the hills to the west of Kakumiro. In the Kibaale District, it flows northwest before entering a wetland close to the hamlet of Kitoma.
Mayanja River
In Central, Uganda is where you’ll find the Mayanja River. From source to end, the River Mayanja is around 150 km (93 mi) long. It rises in the hills northeast of the town of Wakiso in the Wakiso District of Central Uganda and flows northwest before emptying into the River Kafu in Nakaseke District at the border with Masindi District and Kyankwanzi District.
Conclusion
Uganda is found in Africa’s tropical equatorial region, in the Great Lakes Basin, which is encircled by the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Due to its significant physical and natural features, Uganda offers a range of water resources, including lakes, rivers, and swamps.
We’ve listed some of Uganda’s longest rivers in this article. You can check them out when touring or traveling through Uganda.
