The City of Kigali (CoK), yesterday, closed Top Tower Hotel in Kimihurura for failing to allow inspection to ascertain building standards. 

Speaking to The New Times, Martin Sibomana, the media and communication officer at CoK, said the closure of the hotel was in line with the city’s construction rules and regulations that recommend expert inspection on public buildings.

"When construction is completed, the CoK conducts an assessment of the building before issuing ‘occupation permit’; but the hotel in question was yet to be certified,” Sibomana explained.

He said the decision followed repeated requests for inspection – to no avail.

The latest request came on July 28, last year, when CoK asked the hotel to suspend operations to allow for inspection but they didn’t heed, he said.

Our role is to protect hotel users’ lives, so we decided to suspend it until assessment is done, Sibomana added.

Efforts to talk to the hotel manager were futile as his known mobile phone went unanswered but when The New Times visited the premises, it found a notice at the entrance that read ‘out of service yesterday.’

editorial@newtimes.co.rw