A hotel in Kitgum municipality in northern Uganda has cancelled a reservation booking by the People Power movement to hold their consultation meeting there next week.
Sebastian Ogoni, the People Power regional Youth coordinator for northern Uganda says that they had planned to hold the meeting on Tuesday and had already made a down payment of Shs 100,000 of the Shs 900,000 that Jaflo Garden hotel had demanded for the one-day event.
Ogoni says they received calls from the hotel management on Friday, notifying them that security personnel had raided their premises and ordered them to cancel the booking.
People Power is led by Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyia aka Bobi Wine, who, has already declared his intentions to stand for the presidency in next year's general elections. He was last week cleared by the Electoral Commission to carry out countrywide consultations on his intended candidature. The consultations are scheduled to start next week, Monday in Bobi Wine's constituency and six other districts in northern Uganda.
Solomon Onono, the manager Jaflo Gardens hotel confirmed that they turned down the booking for fear that their business may be affected by the activities of the People Power movement.
Onono confirmed receiving a downpayment from People Power but now says the hotel cannot host the anticipated 2,000 delegates because such numbers are beyond the capacity they can ably accommodate. Onono says that they are yet to refund the money.
"Our fear is that what they are coming for is politics and will affect our business. We have also consulted with police and they told us that the team haven't approached them," Onono said in an interview on Saturday.
William Komakech, the Kitgum resident district commissioner denied ordering management of the hotel not to host the meeting. He says, in any case, People Power only approached the hotel and failed to notify the security teams in the district as one of the prerequisites enshrined in the Public Order Management Act (POMA). As such he said, the planned meeting is unlawful.
An itinerary issued by Bobi Wine this afternoon indicates that he will start his consultations on Monday, January 6 at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Gayaza in Kyadondo East. On Tuesday he will move to Da Covenant hotel Grounds in Gulu, Grand Pacific hotel in Lira on Wednesday, Lavic Country Resort in Adjumani on Thursday, Praford New Vocational Institute in Yumbe on Friday, Heritage Courts hotel in Arua on Saturday and Dreamland motel in Zombo district on Sunday.
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