MOROTO – An acute shortage of hotel rooms has hit Moroto district due to a big number of people and dignitaries who have traveled to witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cross border business by President Yoweri Museveni and Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta.
The two heads of state will on Thursday, September, 12 sign a Memorandum Of Understanding on free movement of pastoralists and resource sharing along the Turkana-Karamoja border.
The event which will take place at Naitakwae playground in Moroto Municipality. The highly anticipated ceremony has attracted hundreds of people including foreign dignitaries such as the UN team.
After signing the MOU the two heads of the State will tour some of the projects that government of Uganda has accomplished, and the political heads are also expected to tour the drought interventions within Karamoja.
A survey carried out by PML Daily over the weekend established that most of the hotels within the municipality and those within the suburbs were booked in advance by different advance dignitaries that are accompanying the two heads of states.
The visitors who went to Moroto from different districts have resorted to getting rooms in other neighboring districts such as Nakapiripirit which is 98 kilometer’s away from Moroto while others have opted for other hotels in Kotido district which is also a distant110 kilometers away from Moroto.
The development has however been beneficial to the locals in Moroto district, who have taken advantage of the situation by raising room prices.
The hotels that ordinarily charge UGX 30,000 to UGX 50,000 per room have now increased the prices from UGX100,000 to UGX 200,000 for single rooms while double rooms go for from UGX 200,000 upwards.
Grace Nachap a hotel proprietor told PML Daily on Tuesday, September 10, that it’s the first time that they are also benefiting from government functions.
“Am very happy as a hotel proprietor because this is the first time we have also enjoyed when there is a government function like this,” she said.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up with several policemen and soldiers carrying out patrol day and night along the streets in Moroto Municipality.
