Is Bukalasi safe?
Uganda · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Bukalasi is a city in Uganda, home to about 345k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,726 of 6,168, with a safety score of 56.7 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.
Emergency 999 (ambulance, fire, police)
- US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Uganda, updated 2025-12-07.
- Elevated homicide rate8.82 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 3× the global city median.
- Same-sex activity criminalized - death penalty in lawLaw on the books in Uganda as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Uganda are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Bukalasi really?
No published homicide figure exists for Bukalasi itself, so the national rate stands in: Uganda recorded 8.8 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - roughly 3 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Uganda's income inequality is middling (Gini 42.7) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Uganda at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-12-07). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Uganda without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.
What to watch out for in Uganda
Terrorism in Uganda · Political situation · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Vehicle crime · Food and drink spiking · Methanol poisoning · Scams · National cleaning day · Personal ID · Wearing military-style clothing · Helping children on Kampala’s streets · Smoking and e-cigarette bans · Illegal drug penalties · Using cameras in secure areas · +7 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Uganda — country-level, not specific to Bukalasi. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 8.8 /100knational rate, 2024 · ~3× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 42.7country, 2019
- Human development
- HDI 0.582country, 2023
- Income
- $3,410/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 345kurban centre · 2,287/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 29.4 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 48/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 44/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 25/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 6.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.59Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 31.2 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 18%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.2 doctors /1k0.5 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 264 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Uganda
- Drought
- 7.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 3.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 3.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Uganda as a whole, not Bukalasi specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Uganda, with the death penalty applying in law (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
All country-level figures shared by every city in Uganda; none of them affect the safety score.
How the score works
One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Bukalasi that gives 56.7/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Bukalasi compared with Mbale City
| Measure | Bukalasi | Mbale City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 56.7 | 56.7 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 8.8 /100k | 8.8 /100k | ±0.0 /100k |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in Uganda, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Mbale City →
Nearby cities
- Mbale City 56.7
- Buligenyi 56.7
- Busia 56.7
- Kitale, Kenya 63.9
- Kakamega, Kenya 63.9
- Iganga 53.7
- Vihiga, Kenya 63.6
- Eldoret, Kenya 63.9
See Bukalasi on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →