Inside Rwanda's white elephant that's cost British taxpayers £220m: The 'luxury' Kigali hotel with football pitch, pool table, cinema room – set in beautiful grounds where staff are so bored waiting for UK asylum seekers they dust indoor palm trees

Staff at a Rwanda hostel earmarked since 2022 for asylum seekers are so bored waiting, they are dusting leaves from indoor plans and picking weeds from the lawn – to the tune of more £220 million of taxpayers’ money.

The Hope Hostel is one of several properties selected by the Rwandan government to house illegal immigrants who will be flown from the UK in July after PM Rishi Sunak vowed ‘nothing will stand in our way’.

But with dozens human rights lawyers waiting in the wings to fight claims and a Labour government odd on to take power – and who have already vowed to scrap the scheme – taxpayers will be furious at what looks increasingly like a costly white elephant.

Earlier his week MailOnline was the first British news organisation to visit the Hope Hostel since the Government’s Rwanda Bill was passed late on Monday night and was given a guided tour of the premises.

Set in the smart Kagugu district of Kigali, home to numerous expat houses, international schools and a few minutes drive from the plush greens of the city’s only golf course.

Hope Hostel was selected as a site to house 100 claimants and the managing director and staff told us they had been ‘100 per cent ready since 2022’ and were eager to welcome potential residents.

But because of parliamentary deadlock and numerous legal battles no asylum seekers have arrived and so despite a block booking of two years, with the help of UK cash, all the 42 employees have been doing is cleaning, dusting and weeding – continuously for the last 670 days.

When we were shown around the four-storey building, we were astonished to see staff on every level, wiping the dust from leaves of indoor palm trees, outside picking stray weeds from the lawn or hand clipping the hedges to within an inch of their life.

In fact, the manicured gardens at Hope Hostel are so pristine they wouldn’t look out of place in a typical English village tennis club and are easily the envy of any groundsman looking for a verdant lawn.

When they do eventually – or should that be if – arrive, claimants will be housed in twin rooms with a comfortable mosquito covered net bed, sliders, basic toiletries and a welcome pack of clothes.

Because the majority are expected to be Muslims a personal Koran and prayer mat is also made available in each room and there are also two computer suites and two red carpeted prayer rooms.

The rooms all have balconies, and the fortunate ones will have spectacular view over a valley towards Kigali’s central business district and the imposing 6,000ft Mt Kigali which dominates the horizon.

On entering through the security gates at the guarded complex the first thing that greets you is the Hope Hostel slogan – ‘Come as a guest leave as a friend’ – but UK taxpayers will be left thinking ‘if only’.

Hope Hostel once housed orphans whose parents had been killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide which saw 800,000 Tutsi’s slaughtered by Hutu extremists in a massacres that lasted 100 days and whose anniversary is this month.

Ismael Bakina, managing director of the Hope Hostel, told the Mail: ‘We were selected in June 2022 for this project and it’s not my place to talk politics, but we have been ready and witing for two years.

‘We are 100 per cent ready and if asylum seekers arrived from the UK tonight it would not be a problem for us, we have been block booked the past two years and the staff here have been busy preparing themselves.

‘It’s a shame no one has arrived yet but we can guarantee a hospital welcome for them – the food and beverage team are ready but they haven’t had to cook anything yet apart for meals for the staff.’

One member of staff said: ‘It’s been the same thing day in day out for the last two years, clean, clean, clean and we wait, wait, wait for people to arrive and no one has maybe they will soon.

‘I spend my days wiping dust from the indoor plants, then wiping the dust from the railings on each floor and then cleaning the bathrooms but because no one uses them they are always spotless.’

The Government’s Rwanda plan was introduced in 2022 and at one stage a plane was ready and waiting to depart from Stansted but in the end it was cancelled and in the intervening years there have been a steady stream of court cases.

Activists and opposition MPs have insisted the scheme – which would see those who enter the UK illegally flown to Rwanda – is illegal and inhumane and called into question the country’s human rights record.

The plan is meant as a deterrent to those migrants who would risk their lives to cross the English Channel and it’s a policy which Mr Sunak is adamant ‘will stop the boats’ with the main target fit young men who are not fleeing war or persecution.

Those who have been flown to Rwanda will have their claims assessed there and if granted will be able to remain there and work or leave for another country but not the UK and they will not be sent back to where they left originally.

Hope Hostel is able to take 100 and according to the framework passed by the Rwanda government earlier this week they will be entitled to three meals a day as well as a mobile telephone and SIM.

On arrival those entering will have to pass through an airport style metal detector and be given a check-up in the medical centre before enjoying a meal in the Halal restaurant in the building opposite.

Later they can unwind playing pool, on a football pitch or basketball court – which was also being swept – or watch the latest movies or football match on widescreen TVs in communal areas.

Processing claims will take place in a large marquee which has been set up in the grounds of the hostel which is ringed by a high wall but those staying there will be allowed to come and go as they please.

As with any other residential establishment there is super-fast wifi free to all and former Home Secretary Priti Patel was one of the first UK ministers to visit the Hope Hostel in April 2022.

Continuing the tour Mr Bakina said:’ There is also a large indoor courtyard or atrium which can be used as a communal area and the huge glass roof lets in a lot of light and it is the perfect place to chill out.

‘The aim is to make people feel at home, and they won’t have to pay for anything, all the costs have been picked up the UK and Rwandan government. The kitchens are ready, the rooms are ready, everything is ready we just need some people.’

For those that wish to cook themselves an outdoor kitchen has been provided and there is also a laundry room on each floor – the hostel certainly has the feel of a midmarket self-catering apartment block, except at Hope Hostel meals are provided.

Officials told the Mail claims would be processed within three months of arriving and those that are granted can remain in Rwanda or if they fail they will still be eligible for residency.

An initial £220 million was sent to Rwanda as of February this year with another £50 million to follow later and a further £50 million in 2025 and 2026.

Last month the government’s spending watchdog said the UK would be paying £370 million to Rwanda as part of the plan and although no firm figures have been revealed it will involve around 1500 people.

Up to £150,00 will also be paid for each person sent to the east African country over the five-year period of the scheme – it ends in 2027 – and Labour has already described the National Audit Office figures as a ‘nationals scandal’.

The Home Office has insisted that: ‘Doing nothing is not without significant costs adding that unless we act, the cost of housing asylum seekers is set to reach £11bn per year by 2026.

‘Illegal immigration costs lives and perpetuates human trafficking, and it is therefore right that we fund solutions to break this unsustainable cycle.’

But following MailOnline’s visit questions will undoubtedly asked by taxpayers about just how much has been spent already on a project that is unlikely to really ever get off the ground.

And while the UK government is insisting the project will save money in the long run keeping costs of providing for migrants down, the eyewatering figures for what has been spent the last two years to keep dust off indoor palm trees will leave taxpayers fuming.

John O’Connell chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance told MailOnline: ‘At the moment the only thing sky bound is the cost of this scheme.

‘Ministers have bet the lot on the Rwanda plan, yet taxpayers have not seen any results.

‘Time to show that this scheme isn’t just a gimmick and will actually deliver what it says on the tin.’

Behind the counter at the Hope Hostel receptionist a staff member – sitting under a clock showing the time in London – sat talking to a colleague.

While elsewhere bored security guards scrolled their iPhones as they tried to while away their time until the end of their shifts.

The boredom of their day was evidently apparent with the only excitement coming from lunch that was about to be served by kitchen staff.

Mr Bakina added:’ We are a private company and have been selected to provide the service as requested and off course there is a cost which has been met by the British and Rwandan government, but I wouldn’t be able to share that with you as it s commercially sensitive.’

Dr. Doris Uwicyeza Picard, Coordiantor of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, told MailOnline:’We are pleased that the Bill has been passed by the U.K. Parliament.

‘However, it doesn’t alter what we have always known to be true: we have worked hard over the last 30 years to make Rwanda a safe and secure country for Rwandans and non-Rwandans alike. T

‘This is why we are able offer safety to the over 130,000 refugees already in Rwanda, and why we partner with the UNHCR to bring migrants stuck in Libya to safety in our country.

‘We are committed to the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with the UK and look forward to welcoming those relocated to Rwanda.’

When asked what she made of critics who said Rwanda was not a safe country she replied: ‘The attacks on Rwanda by opponents of the policy are unjustified.

‘Anyone who attacks this plan needs to explain what policy they’re proposing that will both address the immediate crisis causing untold suffering and death to those making these dangerous journeys, while also addressing the underlying causes of the global migration crisis.

‘What is often lost in the debate in the UK is the economic development part of this agreement. The UK government acknowledges that without addressing the global imbalance of economic opportunities you’re never going to completely stop the boats.

‘This is why they’re investing in Rwanda’s economic and social development, and this could become a model for other countries seeking to prevent people from making dangerous journeys to Europe.’

She added:’ Rwanda has been ready from the moment we first agree to enter into this Partnership. In addition to Hope Hostel, Rwanda has entered into agreements with other hotels that will avail the entirety of their facilities to accommodate relocated individuals at a moment’s notice.

‘All migrant who come to Rwanda will be given the opportunity to work, and we will provide them with the support they need to build new lives in Rwanda.

‘Plans are in place to equip relocated individuals with the skills necessary to seamlessly integrate into the job market. They will he provided with soft skills and language skills.

‘Rwanda’s technical, vocational, and educational institutions, including universities, will be receiving those who wish to undertake studies. In addition, there will be skills matching programs to facilitate their access to employment.

‘The money provided to Rwanda is being used to both prepare to receive and care for the migrants when they arrive, and to support Rwanda’s economic development through various programmes across government.’

A Home Office spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Now that the Safety of Rwanda Act has passed and our Treaty with Rwanda been ratified, Government is entering the final phase of operationalising this landmark policy to tackle illegal migration and stop the boats.

“Our partnership with Rwanda will save taxpayers money by deterring people from coming to the UK illegally. The first flight will send a powerful message that if you come here illegally, you will not be allowed to stay in the UK.”