[1] Manafwa is located approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi), by road, southeast of the city of Mbale, the largest metropolitan area in the sub-region.

[2] This is approximately 247 kilometres (153 mi), northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.

Manafwa Town Council sits at an average elevation of 1,196 metres (3,924 ft), above mean sea level.

The town is located within Mount Elgon National Park and is surrounded by tropical mountainous terrain.

UBOS calculated that the town's population grew at an average rate of 2.4 percent annually, between 2015 and 2020.