Although Uganda began to relax some of the lockdown rules last week, including allowing private vehicles to return to the roads, the country faces an uphill ride back to economic normalcy, a wide-ranging survey by this newspaper shows.
Mr Jean Byamugisha, the chief executive officer of the Uganda Hotel Owners Association, an industry lobby group, estimates her 500 members across the country will lose about $900 million (about Shs3.4 trillion) to the pandemic and the resultant lockdown.
Summer is usually peak season with international tourists flocking in but with international travel badly hit by the impact of the coronavirus disease, for hoteliers like Mr Wekesa, the pain is being felt at home, and will impact other sectors, including agriculture, if it drags on for more months.
In his 14th address to the nation on Covid-19, President Museveni said: "We have lost $1.6 billion from tourism and there is nothing we can do about that... "
Apart from tourism, other economic sectors such as manufacturing, construction, trade, transport and services are also suffering from the economic slowdown.
A separate report presented to the Parliamentary Committee on National Economy by a segment of beverage manufacturers shows that the closure of bars, restaurants and social gatherings has already cost government at least Shs25 billion in revenue in the last three months alone.
