Formerly known as Teso District, it existed at Independence in 1962 and consists of the present day Kaberamaido, Katakwi, Soroti and Kumi. To ease administration, Teso district was in the 1970s divided into North Teso and South Teso, which in 1980, became Soroti and Kumi District respectively.
LOCATION
It borders the districts of Kaberamaido in the west, Kumi in the east, Katakwi in the north and Kamuli and Pallisa in the south.
POPULATION
The district has over 371,986 people, 190,587 are female and 181,399 are
Male.
MAIN LANGUAGES
Ateso, Kumam and Kiswahili.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Agriculture with main emphasis on food crops such as millet, cassava, cow Pease, potatoes, beans, Simsim and sunflower. Cash crops cotton. Vegetables such as Tomatoes, Onions and cabbage.
BANKS
Stanbic Bank Uganda LTD, Centenary Development Bank.
EDUCATION SERVICES
The district has a total of 173 primary schools with 153 government, 6 private and 14 community schools. For secondary schools, the district has over 39 schools, 8 are government, 14 private and 17 community.
There 3 technical; institutions, 2 teacher training colleges.
HEALTH SERVICES
The district has 3 Government dispensaries (II), 14 health centres (III) at county, 3 health centres (IV) at sub-district with 1 hospital. More so, it has 6 private/NGO dispensaries, 22 clinic, 1 health centre (III) and no hospital. There is a Regional Referral Hospital Soroti with 195 beds, Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau- Lwala Hospital with 135 beds.
TRANSPORT NETWORK
The district has a network of Murram roads. The only tarmacked road runs through Kumi. The district has an airstrip where Soroti Aviation School is based. Soroti is served by the a railway line which runs from Mbale to Lira. Presently the Rail line is dormant.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Soroti Rock, a volcanic plug resembling the Tororo Rock, The town’s architecture reflects its multi-cultural history. Central Soroti has a market place where the ingenuity of the local populace at refashioning scrap metal to make cooking pots and other house hold items from the remains of cars and metal drum is amazing.