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Hoima, Uganda | URN | The government is to provide thirty billion shillings to Hotel proprietors in Bunyoro for the upgrade of the facilities ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In October last year, the Bunyoro Hotel Owners Association (BHOA) appealed to the government to allocate them 60 billion Shillings to enable them to upgrade their hotels ahead of the 2027 AFCON.
While Hoima has had a surge in the number of hotels targeting the oil and gas sector, it has been established that many are not up to the standards required to host guests attending the continental tournament.
Dr. Fred Kaliisa Kabagambe, the Chairperson of BHOA and Senior Presidential Advisor on Oil and Gas, told Uganda Radio Network (URN) in an interview that the government has agreed to allocate them 30 billion Shillings in response to their request.
Dr. Kabagambe said the money is to be provided as a loan to be repaid after the tournament.
He noted that while some hotels in the sub-region currently have between 160 and 200 rooms, there is a need to expand capacity to at least 900 rooms to meet AFCON accommodation demands.
Kabagambe Kalisa also said that the hotels need modern amenities such as well-equipped gyms, standard conference facilities, and other upgrades.
Kabagambe Kalisa said the government deployed a high-level technical committee team to inspect and evaluate what is on the ground, especially the hotel infrastructure.
The committee reportedly inspected 17 hotels in Hoima city and filed a report.
He emphasized that even after AFCON, the upgraded hotels would continue serving the region’s growing tourism industry, given Bunyoro’s rich attractions such as Murchison Falls National Park, Kaiso-Tonya Game Reserve, Kibiro Hot Springs, and Bugoma Central Forest Reserve.
Trisha Kabaganda, the Proprietor of Trisek Hotel situated within Hoima city, says that they are financially constrained and that the funds would help them upgrade and boost their hotel.
She has, however, appealed to the government to expedite the process of releasing the money to facilitate the immediate upgrade of their hotels.
During the commissioning of the Hoima City stadium in December last year, the State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, also appealed to hotel owners in the Bunyoro sub-region to upgrade their hotels ahead of AFCON to accommodate both local and international visitors.
Ogwang said the improved hotels will not only accommodate AFCON visitors but also serve international guests involved in the region’s oil and gas sector.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in December last year, commissioned Hoima city, which is one of the designated venues for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Uganda will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania.
The US$129 million, 20,000-seater multi-purpose stadium was constructed by M/S SUMMA, a Turkish company, and it sits on a 34-acre piece of land. The stadium is expected to host thousands of football fans and international guests.
