Kofele
Encyclopedia
Kofele is a town in southern Ethiopia
, and the administrative center of the Kofele
woreda
. Located in the Arsi Zone
of the Oromia Region
, this town has a latitude and longitude of 7°00′N 38°45′E with an elevation of 2695 meters above sea level.
According to the Oromia Regional government, there are two telephone stations and a post office
agent in Kofele. Primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools are present, as well as medical and veterinary clinics. Although electricity is available, there are no fuel stations, banks or insurance organizations in Kofele.
. By 1956, however, the road connecting Kofele to Shashamene remained so poor that it took 6 hours to drive the 25 kilometers.
In one of his many published accounts of life in Kofele, P.T.W. Baxter records that in the 1969 Parliamentary elections
that the two-seat constituency which included Kofele returned two Arsi Oromo
members. Although Arsi made up the overwhelming majority of the electorate, this was the first time that two Arsi had been elected, Baxter explains, "because more Arssi had been persuaded to register and to vote." However the provincial governor ruled the results improper, disqualified one of the candidates, and ordered a fresh election. In the second election, Arsi Oromo voters were intimidated, and the majority prevented from voting with the result that a Christian northerner was elected. "The defeated candidate was transformed from a traditionalist and Government time-server into a tribal martyr," Baxter notes.
in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 13,127 of whom 6,690 are men and 6,437 are women. The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 2,563 of whom 1,252 were men and 1,311 were women.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and the administrative center of the Kofele
Kofele (woreda)
Kofele is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center of the woreda, Kofele. Part of the Arsi Zone, Kofele is bordered on the south by the Bale Zone, on the southwest by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, on the...
woreda
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
. Located in the Arsi Zone
Arsi Zone
Arsi is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Arsi is also the name of a former province. Both the Zone and the former province are named after a subgroup of the Oromo, who inhabit both...
of the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, this town has a latitude and longitude of 7°00′N 38°45′E with an elevation of 2695 meters above sea level.
According to the Oromia Regional government, there are two telephone stations and a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
agent in Kofele. Primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools are present, as well as medical and veterinary clinics. Although electricity is available, there are no fuel stations, banks or insurance organizations in Kofele.
History
Kofele was founded on the orders of Balambaras Chakiiso Tuuri in the 1910s; Waako Oborra laid out the market where the town has since occupied. The community was important at the beginning as an assembly point for long-distance caravans because of its water, grazing and strategic location. In the 1930s, Swedish missionaries operated a small school in Kofele; they returned to the town after the Italian occupationItalian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
. By 1956, however, the road connecting Kofele to Shashamene remained so poor that it took 6 hours to drive the 25 kilometers.
In one of his many published accounts of life in Kofele, P.T.W. Baxter records that in the 1969 Parliamentary elections
Ethiopian general election, 1969
General elections were held in Ethiopia in 1969. Political parties were banned, so all candidates for the Chamber of Deputies were independents, and Aklilu Habte-Wold remained Prime Minister....
that the two-seat constituency which included Kofele returned two Arsi Oromo
Arsi Oromo
Arsi Oromo is one of the branches of the Oromo people inhabiting the Oromia Region, mainly in the Arsi and Bale Zones, and partly in the Misraq Shewa Zone. They claim to have descended from a single individual called Arse...
members. Although Arsi made up the overwhelming majority of the electorate, this was the first time that two Arsi had been elected, Baxter explains, "because more Arssi had been persuaded to register and to vote." However the provincial governor ruled the results improper, disqualified one of the candidates, and ordered a fresh election. In the second election, Arsi Oromo voters were intimidated, and the majority prevented from voting with the result that a Christian northerner was elected. "The defeated candidate was transformed from a traditionalist and Government time-server into a tribal martyr," Baxter notes.
Demographics
Based on figures from the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 13,127 of whom 6,690 are men and 6,437 are women. The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 2,563 of whom 1,252 were men and 1,311 were women.