Millions lost as MV-Kalangala remains grounded

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kalangala district local government has lost 105 million Shillings in taxes this month alone, as a result of due to the absence of MV Kalangala, a ferry that plies the Entebbe Kalangala route.

Kalangala district chairperson Willy Lugoloobi says the vessel which carries up to 200 people and 12 vehicles, has been undergoing maintenance since April 5 at Port Bell in Kampala. It was expected to resume operations on April 25.

Lugoloobi says that the district loses 5 million Shillings for each day that the vessel remains grounded. Each passenger pays 10,000 Shillings to travel on the marine vessel.

Kalangala District collects an average of 321 million Shillings from Hotel tax according to the District commercial officer Cyprian Kavuma. The income is mainly collected from hotels which pay 18 percent tax from the money collected from each visitor who spends a night in the Island.

However, since MV Kalangala was taken for servicing, several tourists who booked to stay Kalangala hotels have since cancelled their travel plans on grounds of not having safe transport means to the main island ‘Bugala’.

Joyce Kikomeko the chairperson of Ssese Islands Tourism development association in an interview with journalists said beach owners have lost up to 95 percent of the earnings due to the absence of safe marine transport since the beginning of April.

Sadala Musoke, the managing director of Nation Oil Distributors Limited, the company that operates MV Kalangala indicated that the marine vessel will return on May 4 after a total overhaul. It is the first time MV Kalangala is overhauled at Port bell since inception in 2008.

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