UGANDA, Makindye | Real Muloodi News | In May 2020, a five-floor building collapsed in Lukuli, Makindye, killing 13 people. Last year, the National Building Review Board (NBRB) investigated about the collapsed building, which resulted in a shocking discovery.
The investigations by NBRB revealed that the building’s contractor was a so-called engineer whose highest qualification is a certificate in bricklaying. The report further highlights that the level of unprofessionalism is on the rise in the construction sector. Once experts approve plans, developers recruit cheap unqualified builders who compromise quality.
Following the incident in May, the developer, Abraham Kalanzi and builder Christopher Ruhambya Bbaandi were arrested.
The report clarifies that: “Mr Ruhambya, who appeared before the task force with his lawyer Anthony Wameli stated he completed his Ordinary Level of Education and got a UCE certificate. He then enrolled in a certificate program in bricklaying at Kasubi Technical School, and he finished the course in 1978. Ruhambya said that he started working after that. When asked by the (NBRB) what knowledge base he used to construct the five-story building, Ruhambya replied he used his experience, saying that he had been in the industry for several decades. He could build without drawings.”
The report further reads: “The construction went on at a hazardous speed. It only took three months to construct the five-floor building. They were using poor quality materials. Furthermore, they had no approved architectural and structural design. Additionally, they had not done soil investigation, and the artistry was poor, coupled with inferior construction technology.
In 2020, both Kalanzi and Ruhambya appeared before the court in litigation established by family members of those who died in the incident. Both the builder and developer continued to blame one another.
However, the judge ordered the parties to settle outside of the court. In the end, the families received compensation for losing their loved ones, and Kalanzi, the developer, had to pay a fine of USH 1 million.
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