Bukoba

Colonial period

The town of Bukoba was founded in 1890 by Emin Pasha as the first German military station on Lake Victoria.^[4]: 45 The town was founded in the territory of the Lesser Kyamutwara chiefdom. Its chief, Mukotani, was hospitable to the Germans and directed them against his rivals: Kayoza of Bugabo and Mutatembwa of Kiziba. After Emin raided Bugabo, Kayoza agreed to send support for the station's construction.^[5]: 105 Following unrest in neighbouring Uganda, the town received fleeing Catholic missionaries on February 1892.^{[4]: 45–46} The town was developed into a port through which grain, hides, and ivory passed.^{[4]: 49–54} Riots broke out during the 1905–1907 Maji Maji Rebellion; they were quickly suppressed.^[4]: 84 As part of a series punitive reprisals, Chief Ntare of the Karagwe Kingdom was hanged on a tree in Bukoba.^{[5]: 253 [6]} The Germans constructed a 54 m² (65 yd²) fort in 1901.^[7]: 14 By 1914, Bukoba hosted one of three transmission stations in German East Africa, alongside Dar es Salaam and Mwanza.^[8] During the East African campaign in World War I, the town was sacked by the British on 2 June 1915.^[7]: 14 The British launched another raid on 21–23 June, launching attacks from Kisumu. Pillaging and rape were reported to be widespread, and the town was left abandoned after the attacks.^[8] After the war, German East Africa was transferred to British control in the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.^[5]: 246

Post-independence

In the initial actions of the Uganda–Tanzania War, Bukoba was bombed by Ugandan MiG aircraft on 18 October 1978, spreading panic but causing little destruction.^[9]: 54 Another bombing was attempted on 27 October; most bombs landed in forests or Lake Victoria, but one narrowly missed Bukoba's hospital.^{[9]: 59 [10]: 25} Civilians began to flee the town, and by the following morning Bukoba was mostly abandoned.^{[9]: 59–60}

On 10 September 2016, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck east-northeast of Bukoba.^[11] Shaking of an estimated MMI IV intensity was felt, and the earthquake destroyed 840 houses and seriously damaged a further 1,264 in the town. At least 19 people were killed and 253 were injured.^[11][12]

Climate

Bukoba has an upland tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Amb, because every month has a normal mean temperature of between 18 °C and 22 °C) although it is milder than most climates with that classification due to its altitude. It can sometimes get cool especially in the evenings during the two rainy seasons, but never as cold as the winter season in Europe.^[17]

Bus

A bus^[24] leaves for Kampala at 7 am every day (about 6 hours) and from Kampala for Bukoba at 11 am every day.

Ports

Bukoba Port, located about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the town's centre, is the second-largest Tanzanian port on Lake Victoria after the ports at Mwanza. It handles general loose cargo and passengers, with a designed capacity of 9,500 tonnes of cargo per month. It has an 85 m (279 ft) long main berth and two shorter berths.^[25]: 7 The port is owned and operated by the Tanzania Ports Authority.^[25][14] It has passenger service to Mwanza North Port.^[25]: 7

Air

Bukoba Airport is located south east of the city. The address on Sokoine Road.^[21]

Auric Air^[26] flies three times a day to Mwanza. In 2010 the airport^[27] was extended as more flights were expected in line with capacity growth milestones of The Air Terminal reviewed after published reports every quarter of the year.^[28] Air Tanzania (ATCL) also have scheduled flights to Bukoba throughout the week with connecting flights through Mwanza to Dar es Salaam.