Gov’t to demolish Jinja Tourism Institute building
Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute, UHTTI in Jinja City. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- The demolition, which will take place next month, will result in the relocation of both the hotel services and training education centre to YMCA Jinja on July 31.
Authorities at Jinja City-based Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI) have announced plans to demolish the 69-year-old Crested Hotel structure due to persistent cracks that make it unsuitable for the next five to ten years.
The building, which consists of 35 rooms, a restaurant, and a bar section, has undergone several renovations, but the cracks continue to resurface, leading to the decision to demolish it.
Ms Miriam Namutosi, the acting Principal of the Institute, expressed the desire to preserve the old hotel building for its historical value in the country's tourism heritage.
However, engineers have advised against it as the structure is not sustainable for the next decade.
According to Ms Namutosi, the demolition, which will take place next month, will result in the relocation of both the hotel services and training education centre to YMCA Jinja on July 31.
“Effective next month, customers to the hotel will be getting the same services at YMCA, Nalufenya Road,” Ms Namutosi said.
She explained that they chose YMCA because it has spacious lecture rooms, is near students’ hostels, is enclosed and can easily control the students’ movements.
An artistic impression of the structures that will house the administration block, hostels, classroom, computer laboratory and health club at Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Jinja City. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA
Ms Namutosi further explained the government has secured Shs20b from the World Bank for construction of the new structures to match the current Shs16b hotel under construction by Roko Construction Limited which will be handed over this September.
“To achieve this transformation of both the hotel and the institute, there has been re-structuring and validation of the staff by the Ministry of Tourism, aimed at acquiring highly-competent staff to drive this institute to international level,” Ms Namutosi said in an interview on July 21.
She added that the procurement of the contractor is ongoing and is being handled by the Ministry of Tourism.
Once the contractor is selected and begins work on the site, the project is expected to be completed within a two-year period.
Ms Namutosi also mentioned that the relocation will result in a reduction in student enrollment from 600 to 500 due to limited lecture rooms.
Additionally, the restaurant and bar clients will be restricted to not more than 50 during this transition period.
