Hotel where Queen resided sealed off

Ripon Hotel in Jinja City, where the late Queen Elizabeth II slept during her visit to Uganda in 1954, has been sealed off allegedly by land grabbers.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday at one of her properties in Scotland surrounded by members of the royal family, bringing an end to her illustrious 70-year reign on the British throne. She was 96.

But 68 years earlier, she booked into the hotel on Nile Crescent opposite Jinja Sailing Club ahead of the commissioning of Owen Falls Dam.

By Friday morning, the once revered hotel, which sits on about four acres of land, was barricaded with iron sheets. Its supporting structures have been demolished and the surrounding land is being used for cultivation of largely maize.

Sources told Sunday Monitor that the historical facility finds itself in the middle of land grabs.

“As you can see the place has been sealed off for some years,” our source said, adding, “That indicates that there is someone who has taken it. However, ever since it was commissioned, no renovation or painting has ever been done on it.”

An official from Jinja City Authority, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said at least three people are claiming ownership of that site and the matter is in court.

Without naming the persons behind the takeover of the hotel, the source added: “The property was sold off when hotels owned by the government across the country were privatised.”

The source, however, referred Sunday Monitor to the Uganda Tourism Board, adding: “They should be knowledgeable about information concerning Ripon Hotel.”

Mr Daudi Migereko, the chairperson of the Uganda Tourism Board, admitted that the land on which the hotel sits was government land “after the Indians left, but the government decided to put it under the Custodian Board and there are so many claimants as we speak.”

He added: “To be honest with you, there have been too many stories about it and I am just hoping that one of these days somebody will develop it.”

Mr Migereko believes the hotel’s prime location and history should make it a magnet for tourists once it puts its troubles behind it.

A man found manning the place on Friday declined to identify himself and said: “Nobody is allowed here to transact or carry any development until the court pronounces itself on who the right owner is because the matter is in court.”

People are, however, occupying some of the rooms of the facility.

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