In a bid to provide enough hotel rooms for the 2007 Commonwealth summit, Uganda is building hotels to accommodate the 54 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) slated for November 2007.

Work to build a 90-million U.S. dollar five-star hotel in downtown Kampala. The Hibiscus Hotel under construction will displace former Uganda Television (now Uganda Broadcasting Corporation) in Nakasero, neighboring the State House in Kampala in an investment of Mohammed Aya, a Sudanese tycoon. The hotel will encompass executive suites, lounges, restaurants, tennis and squash courts and top quality health spas and indoor swimming pools, a lot of work should be put in the planning from the grassroots,” Seifert said.

Currently there are about 800 hotel rooms of international standard in Kampala and Entebbe. But Uganda needs at least 3,000 hotel rooms of international standard and 60 presidential suites to host the summit.The country there fore is working hard to provide the rooms in time for the Meeting which will also be attended by the Queen of England.

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda Hotel News

President Yoweri Museveni donated the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) land at Nakasero, Kampala to Sudanese investors as part of the government’s incentive to attract investment.Apart from the land donation, the government is to spend US$6m (shs10.7b) to relocate UBC TV from Nakasero to Kololo Summit View.

The Sudanese brothers through AYA (Uganda) Ltd, are to construct a five-star hotel worth US$90m (about shs164bn) on the hill.
Several people are to be displaced including Nakasero School of Nursing and Midwifery, several offices of presidential advisers and the Departments of Information, Ethics & Integrity and that of Economic Monitoring have been sharing the UBC premises

State Minister for Information who is also the government spokesman, Dr Buturo said that if an investor is coming to put say a hotel of US$90m, you look at employment of Ugandans, tourism and modernisation, you decide to forego the value of the land in return for something bigger. Here, the benefits outweigh the costs (of relocating). He defended the deal saying the investment out-weighs the displacement costs.Buturo added: “There is no money going to be spent on relocating me from Nakasero to the former Movement Secretariat. Between US$5 to US$6m, will be spent on relocating UBC and TV to Kololo and the government is looking for the money. The Policy of the government is to put in place incentives that can attract investment. In light of this, they did not pay for that land,” Dr. Buturo admitted, confirming reports that government donated the land to AYA.

The 15-acre prime land at Nakasero has hosted the government owned TV for 43 years. It originally belonged to Buganda kingdom, sources said.

This is the second controversial hotel investment that is displacing a traditional installation in preparation for CHOGM. Shimoni Demonstration Primary School and Shimoni Teachers College are also set to be relocated after the 15.1 acres of land occupied by the two schools was awarded to a Saudi Arabian tycoon, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin AbdulAziz Alsaud.
The Saudi Prince who owns Kingdom Holdings Company, is supposed to build a five- star hotel in preparations for the 2007 Common Wealth Summit. Shimoni Demonstration School is the largest UPE School in Kampala with 3,400 pupils.

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda Hotel News

The construction of the five-star Hibiscus Hotel worth $90m (sh164.7b) in Nakasero has started.

The hotel that will displace former Uganda Television (now Uganda Broadcasting Corporation UBC) will be above All Saints Cathedral and is an investment of Mohammed Aya, the chairman of Aya Group of Companies.

The area has been sealed off and demolishing of existing buildings will start as soon as the information ministry and UBC team vacate the premises within a week.

John Seifert of London-based John Seifert Architects who will supervise the site with fourteen experts said that they are reviewing the premises and finalising with the design and its implementation. In order for it to encompass executive suites, lounges, restaurants, tennis and squash courts and top quality health spas and indoor swimming pools, a lot of work should be put in the planning from the grassroots.

The construction would end by May 15 and would last 12 months. At least 1,200 casual labourers will be employed.

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda Hotel News

East African readers of Travel News magazine have voted Sheraton Kampala Hotel as the best city hotel and best business hotel in Kampala.

Sheraton hotel was voted best by magazine Travel News readers because of quality services, which put the customer at the heart of the Business.

Sheraton Kampala Hotel is a 4 star hotel, which offers a wide range of services to its guests.

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda hotel News

Major hotels in Kampala have blacklisted the foreign affairs ministry for non-payment of bills totalling over sh40m. Foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa said the ministry would require sh124m for hotel accommodation next financial year to enable it clear the debt.

He said in international practice, envoys are accorded hospitality, which includes accommodation, transport and meals. “The envoys have to be accommodated in befitting hotels around Kampala to reciprocate the hospitality accorded to Ugandan envoys when abroad,” he said.

Kutesa was presenting the ministry’s budget estimates for the 2006/07 financial year before the parliamentary committee on presidential and foreign affairs.

He said the ministry had accumulated domestic arrears to other service providers amounting to sh449m.

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda hotel news