The district was created in 2005, by taking the Mityana and Busujju counties from Mubende District.

Mityana is the site of the district headquarters.

The district headquarters at Mityana are approximately 77 kilometres (48 mi) west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.

In 2002, the national census estimated the district population at 266,110.

In 2012, the district population was estimated at 311,600.