KAMPALA | Kingdom Kampala Hotel and Retail Centre | Mixed-Use | 34 fl | U/C

[u.g boy]

New Shimoni land owner revealed
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The construction site of the five-star hotel at Shimoni. PHOTO BY YUSUF MUZIRANSA.

By Walter Wafula (email the author)
Posted Saturday, December 11 2010 at 00:00
Kampala

Mr Ashish Thakker, the real estate entrepreneur behind Kensington Luxury Homes in Uganda and the Kensington Krystal Tower in Dubai, is the new owner of the Shimoni land in Kampala.

The land was originally owned by the government and housed Shimoni Demonstration Primary School. But in 2006, the school was demolished and relocated to Kololo, to give way for the construction of a five- star hotel for Chogm in 2007. Mr Thakker, 29, is among the initial group of 100 space tourists booked on the Virgin Galactic space ship.

Mr Thakker, also the chief executive officer Kensington Real Estate, paid $200,000 (about Shs456 million) to sign up for the luxury flight. He owns the Mara Group with subsidiaries including, Raps and Railey Media and Packaging in Uganda.
His company Azure Holdings, a subsidiary of the Kensington Group in Uganda, has started the construction of a five-star hotel on the Shimoni land.

In an interview on Thursday, Dr Maggie Kigozi, the executive director Uganda Investment Authority, said Azure acquired the Shimon piece of land from Kingdom Holdings in Dubai which failed to put up a hotel at the prime city location. “Kingdom Holdings paid $2 million for the land and I think they paid slightly over that,” Dr Kigozi said, estimating the cost at about $2.6 million (about Shs6 billion). Dr Kigozi said the project was authorised by the Minister of Finance last year and will attract investment of up to $80 million (Shs182 billion).

Kensington plans to add an urban commercial centre that will rival the Oasis and Garden City shopping malls, at the venue. According to details on the artistic impression erected on Nile Avenue, Azure plans to construct a hotel with 34 floors and 250 luxury rooms.

The building will be the second tallest building in East Africa after Kenya’s Times Tower. The ground will also be home to Kampala’s largest conventional centre and will have parking space for 1,500 vehicles. When Daily Monitor visited the site yesterday, excavation work for the construction of the underground parking had been halted.

“Some external problems with KCC and the ministry have to be sorted out first,” a source at the site who is not authorised to speak on behalf of project said. But Dr Maggie said Azure has been in talks with the National Water and Sewerage Corporation to find a way of shifting water pipes at the location.

In Dubai, Kensington is setting up the Kensington Krystal, a corporate office building with 60,000 square meters of space. The 36-storey tower, which is valued at Shs433 billion, is scheduled for completion in 2012.

the project has changed and been talked over for years but construction has properly staretd and the plan is to have a 34 storey hotel with a conventional centre and shopping will public park etc.

new renders for the site
the site will host a 34 storey hotel and many offer facilities.
KINGDOM KAMPALA
URBAN MASTERPLAN

Location:Kampala, Uganda
Client:Kingdom Kampala Ltd.
Other consultants:Landmark Studios (Landscape)Arup (Transport & Security)
Gross area: 245,000m2
Project status:Construction

master plan renders




retail and office park renders










kingdom Kampala Hotel details
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Design/Completion: 2010/2013
Site Area: 25,376 sq.m
Gross Floor Area: 41,864 sq.m

Sited on the crest of a hill in the heart of Kampala the new 30 storey, 320 room Intercontinental Hotel will be one of a number of proposed high rise structures set to transform the image of the capital city of Uganda.

The hotel will include extensive convention facilities and will be part of a mixed use development which also includes commercial offices and upscale retail.

The hotel will be linked to the commercial office and retail elements by landscaped pedestrian pathways and cascading water features.

The hotel tower will contain a mix of accommodation as well as 30 serviced apartments for long stay guests. An executive lounge, fine dining restaurant and a sky terrace on the uppermost level of the hotel offer guests unparalleled and breathtaking views toward Lake Victoria to the south and the city to the north.

The Architectural language, whilst broadly International, echoes local architecture, reinforced by the use of local African colours and textures on exterior surfaces.

The open spaces around the hotel, in particular between the hotel and convention centre, will be extensively landscaped. An innovative use of green wall technology will be applied to the hotel tower to soften the appearance of the structure and define the grand arrival terrace for the hotel and convention centre.

hotel and convection centre renders

[Minsk]

Beautiful) I hope that it will be built.

[u.g boy]

Originally Posted by Minsk

Beautiful) I hope that it will be built.

its already under construction

[sseki2010]

very nice a project, it has already started....

[tita01]

updates

[Mintali]

Was the interior inspired by the Ugandan national colours? I tend to like it.

[Andrew Clarke]

kingdom kampala hotel is one of the way to create the retail business due to its higher class people meetings and it has very huge compound space for the retail business.

[u.g boy]

The tower is finally rising after all the basement floor were completed .

[èđđeůx]

Nice to see construction started. I didn't think it'd happen for awhile given the financing needed for the project.

[LADEN]

good news.

[Kinyakankick]

Great to see the tallest in kampala rising now. Hilton will soon be de-throned

[Kenguy]

Im curious as to how they will grow those creeper plants on the upper floors. It will sure make a unique facade against the terracotta frame of the tower.

I hope the main tower faces the Oasis mall. It will be easier to take pics of it if it does.

[èđđeůx]

You can't take pics in Kampala either?

[Kenguy]

Originally Posted by èđđeůx

You can't take pics in Kampala either?

Since they increased the number of cops on the street and the terror attacks, its been really hard for me to casually take pics around Kampala. But I'll try my best. I'm in western Uganda at the moment.

[u.g boy]

Originally Posted by Kenguy

Since they increased the number of cops on the street and the terror attacks, its been really hard for me to casually take pics around Kampala. But I'll try my best. I'm in western Uganda at the moment.

you in mbarara . if so please takes some pics i love that city. yes as kenguy said since the terrorist bombings Kampala has been on high alert with all major event and buildings taking new security measure

[Kenguy]

Originally Posted by u.g boy

you in mbarara . if so please takes some pics i love that city. yes as kenguy said since the terrorist bombings Kampala has been on high alert with all major event and buildings taking new security measure

Yes I'm near Mbarara. I will upload pics soon. I'm just on the road again as usual.

[u.g boy]

50% milestone of Kingdom Kampala Phase 1 achieved on programme

Public awareness in Kampala is gradually rising as the first phase of the massive Kingdom Kampala development has started to grow beyond the line of the site hoarding.

Block A, as the first stage is internally known, comprises of three underground parking levels, two floors of luxury shopping mall and eight levels of prime office space. It will provide 4,000m2 of retail area and 15,000m2 of office space above three levels of basement parking. The structural frame is due for completion in February 2013.

[u.g boy]

sorry the large image is another office located in the same area . i posted 2 new images of the current progress .

[Adm.Adama]

Updates

[u.g boy]

Originally Posted by Adm.Adama

Updates

I don't have any at the moment ill have a look.