Theft at Kampala Serena Hotel
Serena Hotel
By AGNES IGOYE
Serena Hotel: I write this with a lot of Pain. December 29, 2022 was supposed to be a celebratory night for me and friends who turned up to see me receive the Diaspora Award for among others my Counter human trafficking work.
But before the award ceremony, few of us who had kept time were requested to step out of Victoria Hall for a meet and greet so doors can be opened at once. Since all guests were stepping out, I left behind my camera bag and hand bag and doors were closed – all guests were outside and some Uniformed Serena Hotel staff were left in the hall setting up the food by the sides of the hall.
When the doors were reopened, I was among the first to get back in to reunite with my bags. One was missing and quickly, Serena Security notified. They came to inspect where the bags were and confidently said I should not worry-they pointed at one of the cameras and said it was so powerful, it scans the whole room.
During the function, Serena security calls me aside for an update. The two who watched the CCTV footage narrate to me the events with timings when I entered the hotel, I taking pictures of the stage, sitting and leaving my table and then getting back in and rushing back outside to inform security about my missing bag. Then I confirmed to them yes, all is correct but please tell me the part of what happened to the bag? Then one said ‘oh let us go and check that part’. And they were especially interested in knowing details of how much money was in the bag.
I was called back to the hall because I was next to receive my award. I was not sure what I said on stage (in picture) that night because my bag was on my mind, the money and all the valuable irreplaceable items that money can’t buy.
Serena security call me out again. This time it’s one and not two that show up. He tells me almost in a whisper, ‘Madame my colleague has said you return tomorrow then he will brief you about his findings from the footage’
Me: Is it promising?
No. He says.
Can I speak with him?
No, he has left.
He starts explaining that you see the rotating lights at Victoria hall darken at the point when you can’t clearly see a person picking the bag…..etc etc. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!
Then I insist I want to see the footage. He calls his colleague on phone and then tells me that actually, his colleague had not yet viewed that part. but will continue viewing the footage the next morning.
By now some colleagues and friends had joined us. ‘Let’s go see that footage’. But the Serena security man insisted his friend had left so we can’t be able to see the footage. People volunteered to use their cars to pick the CCTV security person, but his colleague repeats that ‘it will not be possible’. We went back and forth, but Serena security refused to help. I left Serena at about 1am and went to CPS Police station to make a report- all my valuable documents were in that bag and someone among other things can use those documents to commit more crime!
On 30th morning- I call Serena Manager, he did not pick his call at that time. I return to Serena and was told everyone I wanted to see was in a meeting. I waited. Finally I see the Security Manager. Apparently he leant of the incident in the morning and yet he said as procedure, he needed to have been informed that night of the incident.
He suggests that I leave behind my phone number and he will contact me later after establishing the facts. I tell him I was not going anywhere, everything I need time for was in that bag. After about 2 hours he returns telling me he had viewed the footage several times and now he was ready to show me but I would not take the footage.
We go to this CCTV room, two of us plus a uniformed policeman. We see the footage, with security manager on the computer navigating in segments of five minutes per footage material, until that part when am eager to see who picks the bag.
The footage starts running very fast. I question why? He says that the camera is sensitive, when there is no movement it moves quickly. But there was no movements in some earlier segments, why didn’t it move fast? He did not know. At some point we see one of uniformed staff bending to pick something on the next table and the all of a sudden, the doors are opened and I am seen getting to my table, searching for my bag in vain and getting back out to inform security. It was very upsetting, still is.
So much has happened since, including me having to leave town to burry a relative, getting sick and then following up with my bag. But I haven’t got much help from Serena and I haven’t been told what steps the hotel has taken with its staff that were on duty. Apparently, mine is not an isolated incident so I will share more findings soon including a detailed article……………….. And let me know if you have encountered similar incidents, you can inbox too.