Hilton hotel to be ready by September
Feb 16, 2010
THE $100m Hilton Hotel will be ready by September, Mohamed Mohamed Hamid, the AYA Group of Companies managing director, has said.
By James Odomel
THE $100m Hilton Hotel will be ready by September, Mohamed Mohamed Hamid, the AYA Group of Companies managing director, has said.
The Government in 2006 gave the AYA Group a 15-acre land in Nakasero in Kampala to build a five-star hotel.
Work started in 2006 after President Yoweri Museveni launched the project.
The developer had initially said the hotel would be ready for the November 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.
Hamid said the project delayed because Uganda is landlocked.
“This is not a simple project.
Transportation of construction materials from Mombasa is also a problem because Uganda is a landlocked country,†he said.
“Besides, the standard of this type of hotel requires one to take time,†he said.
About 2,000 employees, 95% of whom will be locals, would be recruited when the hotel is completed. Staff will be trained abroad to meet international standards, Hamid added.
The hotel that will change Kampala’s skyline has been dogged by controversies.
A faulty lift killed workers at the site last year and city lawyer Muzamiru Kibedi dragged the firm to court over non-payment of $2.5m (about sh5b) in legal fees.
The lawyer helped the investor secure a $41.5m (over sh70 trillion) loan from the Industrial Development Corporation, a South African finance company, to complete the hotel.
Following the disagreements, Kibedi last month secured a court order to sell AYA’s property, but the firm got a court injunction overturning it.
In a reaction, Museveni commented: “The NRM will also discuss how to deal with greedy groups such as lawyers who harass investors.â€
AYA’s work, he said, was good for Uganda. “They will employ over 2,000 Ugandans.â€
THE $100m Hilton Hotel will be ready by September, Mohamed Mohamed Hamid, the AYA Group of Companies managing director, has said.
The Government in 2006 gave the AYA Group a 15-acre land in Nakasero in Kampala to build a five-star hotel.
Work started in 2006 after President Yoweri Museveni launched the project.
The developer had initially said the hotel would be ready for the November 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.
Hamid said the project delayed because Uganda is landlocked.
“This is not a simple project.
Transportation of construction materials from Mombasa is also a problem because Uganda is a landlocked country,†he said.
“Besides, the standard of this type of hotel requires one to take time,†he said.
About 2,000 employees, 95% of whom will be locals, would be recruited when the hotel is completed. Staff will be trained abroad to meet international standards, Hamid added.
The hotel that will change Kampala’s skyline has been dogged by controversies.
A faulty lift killed workers at the site last year and city lawyer Muzamiru Kibedi dragged the firm to court over non-payment of $2.5m (about sh5b) in legal fees.
The lawyer helped the investor secure a $41.5m (over sh70 trillion) loan from the Industrial Development Corporation, a South African finance company, to complete the hotel.
Following the disagreements, Kibedi last month secured a court order to sell AYA’s property, but the firm got a court injunction overturning it.
In a reaction, Museveni commented: “The NRM will also discuss how to deal with greedy groups such as lawyers who harass investors.â€
AYA’s work, he said, was good for Uganda. “They will employ over 2,000 Ugandans.â€