LIRA CITY, August 13, 2026 — Legislators under the Lango Parliamentary Group [LPG] have urged hotel owners in the Lango Sub-region to form an association to make it easier for them to access financing from the Uganda Development Bank [UDB].
Owned by the Government of Uganda, UDB supports projects within the private sector that demonstrate potential to deliver high socio-economic value, in terms of job creation, improved production output, tax contribution and foreign exchange generation, among other outcomes.
According to the MPs hailing from Lango, government has allocated Shs 101 billion to support the upgrading and restructuring of hotels in Lira City to meet the standards set by the Confederation of African Football [CAF] ahead of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 [AFCON 2027].
Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are in advanced preparations to jointly host TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2027 from June 19 to July 17. Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City is expected to host some of the matches to be played in Uganda, alongside other stadia like Mandela National Stadium, Kampala, and and Hoima City Stadium in Hoima City.
The advice from the legislators followed concerns raised by hotel owners in Lira City over what they described as lengthy and complicated procedures for accessing UDB financing.
The legislators were meeting the entrepreneurs at St Gracious Hotel in Lira City, where LPG Chairperson Patrick Ogwang Obura said government had set aside Shs 101 billion to help hotel owners in Lira City upgrade their facilities to meet international standards.
Ogwang said other cities would also receive similar funding.
“The government of Uganda has set aside Shs101 billion to support the reconstruction and upgrading of hotels in Lira City to the standards required by CAF, the organisers of TotalEnergies CAF AFCON,” Ogwang said.
He said the Lango Sub-region should prepare for the opportunities arising from hosting international sporting events, noting that the benefits would extend beyond AFCON 2027.
“We are looking beyond AFCON. What will happen after July 17 next year? There will be more important games taking place, which means we should prepare fully so that Lango can benefit from the opportunities ahead,” Ogwang said.
Patrick Olet, proprietor of St Gracious Palace Hotel, welcomed the announcement, saying business owners were always looking for opportunities to secure financing for development.
However, Olet expressed concern about his previous experience with UDB, saying the lengthy procedures involved in accessing financing discouraged some business owners.
He said he would be reluctant to apply for the facility if the current procedures remained unchanged, noting that commercial banks often processed loans more quickly.
“We are very happy to hear about the money because, as business people, we are always looking for financing to invest in our businesses. However, accessing UDB funding has been very difficult. There is a businessman here who has been processing a UDB loan for five years and has not received the money,” Olet said.
“If UDB is the institution providing this money, I would not apply unless there are special considerations. We now turn to other banks because, within a month, we can get the money we have applied for.”
Johnson Ocol, proprietor of Days-In Hotel in Lira City, also urged the legislators to communicate the concerns of business owners to government, particularly regarding the conditions attached to UDB financing.
“We want you to take our appeal to the government. The procedures for accessing UDB funding are very long and difficult. You may be told that the process will take 10 months, only to be informed later that it could take two years. Some people have tried and eventually abandoned the process,” Ocol said.
“If we are required to follow the normal procedures, we may end up watching the money from a distance, like fresh meat that we can see but cannot touch.”
However, Patrick Ouni, former business manager of the Lira Chamber of Commerce, argued that some of the challenges businesses face in accessing UDB financing arise from inadequate preparation on the part of applicants.
“I want to demystify the difficulties surrounding access to UDB funding. Some of the challenges we face in obtaining financing from UDB are because we, as business owners, are not adequately prepared,” Ouni said.
Geoffrey Ocen, Member of Parliament representing Kioga North County in Amolatar district, acknowledged that the conditions attached to UDB financing could be challenging but said the Government was working to make the funds more accessible.
“The conditions may be difficult, but government is trying to make the process easier. If you are to access the Shs 101 billion, you should come together as one group and demand your share. This will also make it easier for government to ensure that you benefit from the fund,” Ocen said.
Ocen also expressed concern that some hotel owners could struggle to qualify because they already have outstanding loans.
“There are business people whose loans are still running. If that is the case, they should unite, speak with one voice and demand access to the Shs 101 billion facility,” he said.
Responding to the concerns raised by the hotel owners, Ogwang said Parliament had agreed that the funding should be treated as a special facility to enable the targeted hotel owners to access it more easily.
“Members of Parliament, through the report presented to them, have agreed that this should be a special facility. It is not the kind of loan you normally access with a lot of conditionalities. It is a special facility developed in consultation with CAF and strictly aligned with the requirements of hosting AFCON,” Ogwang said.
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