Metropole Hotel known by many for hosting the Commission of Inquiry which investigated and recommend the impeachment of Kampala Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago on ground of incompetency has been closed.
The hotel was always in the news because Justice Catherine Bamugemereire’s led Commission interrogated a number of witnesses who testified against and supported the impeachment of Lukwago hence the owners collected a huge amount of money from president Museveni’s government.
However, since 2016, the hotel has been struggling and was temporarily closed before it was re-opened in 2021 after being rehabilitated and better facilities were installed to attract guests.
However, this also failed and the hotel did not recover.
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This website can exclusively report that a few months back, the hotel management took a decision to close the business because they were making so many losses and workers were told that they will be called when a decision to reopen is reached.
The workers were told that there was some work which was going to be done on the hotel to beautify it but the building currently looks deserted.
Even though hotel owners claim that their business was hit by Covid-19 which frustrated its operations, inside sources disclosed that president Museveni’s decision to fire his Prime Minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi badly affected them.
“During Mbabazi’s time in government, these people were making good money because he was recommending government ministries, agencies and companies to hold their meetings and other projects in that hotel. That is why they ended up landing the deal to host Bamugemereire’s Commission on Lukwago in 2023,” a source said.
He added that a number of businesses especially those dealing in road construction, finance, banking, security, media, agriculture have closed and others are financially struggling because of Mbabazi’s exit from government since they no longer have access to government businesses.
“In Uganda, we don’t have businessmen and women who can survive without money from Museveni’s government as it happens in Kenya and other developed countries. Most of them only survive on handouts from Museveni himself, his family members, friends of the members of the Deep State. Mzee Gordon Wavamunno tried to avoid such a scenario but he was also finally hit hard,” a source said.
