Safari services queried

A GROUP of Swedish delegates is disputing the charges of a local travel agency that handled their trip to Uganda between October 28 and November 14, 2000 because of its poor sevices, reports John Eremu. The group leader Ms. Anne-Marie Mullins said Travel Palour Safari Ltd messed up their tour and did not deserve the US$2881 (sh5.3m) they were demanding. She wants to pay US $1300. Mullins told The New Vision that although the agency made an impressive programme, accommodation in some places was not booked and many of the officials they were scheduled to meet appeared never to have been informed about their visit. "In Mbale, there was no accommodation booked for the nine delegates who travelled there. People like Prof. Wadada Nabudere and the woman MP (Beatrice Wabudeya) were not aware of our meetings with them," Mullins said. "We were very disappointed (because) when we went to some factories, officials were very surprised to see us," added Mr. Hans Rask. Mullins said the contact person the agency gave them in Mbale was not very helpful and they had to resort to Mr. Stephen Wamukota, a Red Cross employee to try to push ahead with the SIDA programmes in the area. In Kampala Mullins said: "When two of the delegates turned up with gifts at the Ministry of Education and Sports, the ministry officials were very angry because they were not informed." She said they managed to see the minister (Dr. Khiddu Makubuya) two days later at the intervention of the Swedish Ambassador here, Mr. Hans Andersson. Mullins described the programme as a "fairy tale" which never materialised and has agreed to pay only US $1130 (sh2.08m) for transportation and an additional sh375,000 for the paperwork and a guide at the rate of sh15,000 per day. "I have been too generous. In Sweden you wouldn't be paid for no work done," Mullins said. But Travel Palour chief, Mr. Geoffrey Walukhu has filed a suit against Mullins in the High Court demanding full payment and costs of the suit. Ends.