The town of Masaka, where the district headquarters are located, is approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara.

[4] The average altitude of the district is 1,115 metres (3,658 ft) above sea level.

[4] Masaka District was established in the 1900s, composed of the Buganda Kingdom's former counties of Buddu, Kooki, Kabula, Mawogola, and Ssese Islands.

Kooki and Kabula were peeled off to form Rakai District.

In 1997, Mawogola County was split from Buddu and was named Sembabule District.