Entebbe Hotel owners accuse churches, bars of chasing away tourists

Hotel owners in Entebbe municipality, Wakiso district are complaining about what they call high levels of noise emitted by some pentecostal churches and bars.

This, according to the hoteliers, noise is driving away tourists who have always preferred to sleep in Entebbe town given its proximity to the airport. The municipality largely survives on income from the hospitality industry, notably, hotels, guest houses, and beaches.

Known for its serene environment due to its proximity to Lake Victoria, Entebbe, which was once Uganda’s capital city, also has special installations, such as the Statehouse, zoo, army barracks, government ministries, and Uganda’s only international airport.

Andrew Otage, the chairperson of the private sector on Entebbe Municipal Development Forum, noted that the shoreline of hotel and tourism developments has had a disruption of operations across the chain of its service industry as a result of the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising water levels and the recent outbreak of Ebola.

As the hospitality industry strives to recover from the effects of recent pandemics and the current outbreak of Ebola, stakeholders are still faced with another challenge of noise pollution, which is reported to have chased guests to other areas such as the Kajjansi town council.

“The problem is not only for hotels but also for the nearby health centers,” Joy Nyirinkindi, a resident of Entebbe municipality, said.

“Katabi health center III, which mostly accommodates pregnant women, is surrounded by four bars playing music from Monday to Monday. The nurses and doctors have complained, but zero action has permanently been taken,” revealed Nyirinkindi, pointing out other disco clubs in areas of Bunono, a vastly residential area.

“Other churches are next to a residential area in Canaan estate, Busambaga, which conducts 5:00 am prayers daily, with zero regards to noise. The list is endless,” she further expressed.

Rema Kanyange who manages Karibu Apartments showed this reporter several letters and phone chats made with some of the authorities in Entebbe municipality, which she says, have yielded no permanent results to the noise pollution problem.

“After writing several letters to the office of the town clerk and messages to the area DPC, I made efforts and physically met some of the pastors who only went defensive. They seem to be enjoying a lot of immunity for their impunity,” Kanyange said.

She, however, lauded the office of the deputy Inspector General of Police, which, she said, has always swung into action.

“There was a time when officers from the deputy IGP’s office spent a full week camped at one of the churches to make sure, all praise and worship were not done with loud musical instruments,” Kanyange said.

Another source who preferred anonymity revealed that the enforcement officers from Entebbe municipal council have always shielded bars that emit noise.

“We have to pay officials to even consider coming to check, especially in the evenings, with the money in their pockets,” the source intimated.

Another hotel proprietor of Indian origin said the whole issue boils down to who gives the license.

“The same authority that thrives on our hotel tax jeopardises our very existence by giving licenses to an entity that has the potential to destroy our businesses,” he said.