Engineers’ board trashes approved cities as slums
View. A view of Arua Town which is among the towns approved to become cities. PHOTO BY CLEMENT ALUMA
What you need to know:
- Issue. The engineers say they were not consulted in the recent decision made by Cabinet to approve six municipalities. They claim as builders in the construction sector, they must be involved in planning.
Kampala. The Engineers’ Registration Board has described the new approved cities that will start in the next financial year as a set of new urban slums, which are being rolled out without modern urban planning, something compatible with city standards.
While opening the 24th annual technology conference at Hotel Africana yesterday, Mr Micheal Odong, the chairperson of the Engineer’s Registration Board, said government should stop employing incompetent cadres to head technical offices and become supervisors of technocrats.
Citing Kampala Capital City Authority, he said it will be a mistake to appoint a non-engineering executive director to take over the city management, which requires a technical person with knowledge in physics, chemistry, mathematics and administration.
“They have come up with new cities. Who has seen their designed master plans? Were they made by religious leaders? Who will design the sewerage system, their road network? The cities need planning, did they consult us?” he wondered, adding that as people who build the country, they must be involved in planning.
He said Uganda is not short of competent engineers to build modern cities for future generations but advised fellow engineers to stop watching as things go wrong but come out and correct the mistakes before it is too late.
While opening the conference on the future of technology, engineering and innovation in a digital society, Mr Waiswa Bageya, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport, said his ministry is only responsible for regulating and monitoring transport and construction.
Mr Vincent Ochwo Olie, the president of Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers, said the two day conference is aimed at deliberating on the challenges engineers face due to digital evolution and how they can tailor towards adapting digital technology.
