Aga Khan kin visits over Serena deal

The younger brother of His Highness the Aga Khan is expected in Rwanda today for a one-day working visit, The New Times has learnt.

The visit of His Highness Amin Aga Khan comes at a time when the government agreed to lease the Hotel Intercontinental and the Kivu Sun Hotel to Serena Group of Hotels, a hotel chain.

And, contacted for comment, John Milenge, the Chairman Board of Directors of Hotel Intercontinental, confirmed the visit. “It is true. His Highness Amin Aga Khan will be in Rwanda tomorrow (today) for a short working visit,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday. “He will be looking at the properties (Kigali Intercontinental Hotel and Kivu Sun Hotel) the government wants to sell to Serena,” Milenge added.

On October 25, the Cabinet endorsed the proposal to lease the two hotels to the reputable international hotel group and the timeline only awaits agreement on all modalities by both parties in order to finalise the transaction. “The visit will play a significant role in speeding the final approval of our transactions,” Milenge said of the 30-year lease deal in which the Serena Group is to invest $11million (Frw6.16b) to elevate the standards of both hotels.

The Aga Khan Group owns a number of investments under the Aga Khan Development Network Projects, including a chain of hotels in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.