The tax waiver on hotel items has enabled hoteliers prepare additional room and construct new hotels, the proprietor of Hotel Africana, Bulaimu Muwanga Kibirige (BMK), has said.

BMK said that Hoteliers wouldn’t have been able to develop and construct new hotels that are aimed at improving our tourism sector if the Government had not waived taxes on some of the items we use. This was at the commissioning of the $5.8m (about sh10b) main hallt at Hotel Africana hat accommodates 3,500 people.
The urged the Government and non-governmental organizations to importune for more international meetings so that the hotels reap more money to repay bank loans.

He added that since his hotel only employs about 600 workers the others in construction will help in eradicating poverty by creating employment.

At the same launch, the President of Uganda General Yoweri.K. Museveni said that such modern facilities would attract more conferences, businesses and tourists into the country.

He said he had come under a lot of pressure following his decision to allocate prime land in the city to investors including that of schools.

The president commented that he has been receiving a lot of complaints about unemployment and given hotels, tourism and technology, Unemployment will be reduced.

In a speech to the attendants, the president said, “A good number of people think poverty is in the soil not knowing that it’s with them. Those of you, who think that you can’t develop, look at Kibirige. He is African and he is doing wonders.”

By Tanah Hadijah

Uganda Tourism