Moroto is a town in Moroto District in the Northern Region of Uganda. The town serves as the location of the district headquarters.

Location

Moroto is approximately 316 km east of Gulu, the largest city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is about 271 km, by road, northeast of Mbale, the largest city in the Eastern Region of Uganda. Moroto is located approximately 528 km, by road, northeast of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. The geographical coordinates of Moroto Town are 2°31'48.0"N, 34°40'12.0"E (Latitude:2.5300; Longitude:34.6700). Moroto sits at an average elevation of 1370 m above mean sea level.

Population

The 2002 national census estimated the population of Moroto at 7,380. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 11,600. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 12,300. In 2014, the national population census put the population of Moroto at 14,196. In 2020, UBOS estimated the mid-year population of the town at 16,300 people. The population agency calculated that the population of Moroto Town grew at an average annual rate of 2.39 percent between 2014 and 2020.

Transport

From the Moroto bus station, there are direct bus services to Kampala, Soroti, Mbale, Nakapiripirit, and other places in Uganda. The main road to Moroto is the Soroti-Moroto Road, which, as of January 2020, is fully paved. The Moroto–Nakapiripirit Road is fully paved as well. The town is also served by Moroto Airport, a public airport located about 8 km west of downtown.

Points of interest

The additional points of interest lie within the town limits or near the edges of town: (1) the offices of Moroto Town Council (2) Mount Moroto, rising to an elevation of 3083 m about 3 km east of town (3) Moroto central market (4) a branch of the National Social Security Fund (5) Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, a 200-bed regional referral hospital administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health (6) a branch of Centenary Bank and (7) a branch of Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited. (8) the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Moroto, headed by Bishop Damiano Giulio Guzzetti.