Two KCCA officials interdicted over collapsed building
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) acting executive director Andrew Mubiru Kitaka has interdicted two Makindye Division officials over a building that collapsed in the area last week and killed 13 people.
The KCCA head of public and corporate affairs, Mr Peter Kaujju, confirmed that Mr Douglas Nsubuga, the physical planner, and Mr Peter Kiggundu, the inspector of buildings, have been suspended.
“…their interdiction shall pave way for investigations into the incident,” he said.
Mr Kaujju did not give the timeline when the investigations would be completed.
Meanwhile, police said both the owner of the building and the site engineer are still on the run.
The building in Nanganda, Makindye Division, becomes the fourth high-rise building to collapse in the city since October last year. Others were in Bakuli, Makerere-Kagugube Zone and Kansanga.
All the five city divisions have a physical planner and a building inspector to oversee development.
However, some of the physical planers intimated to this website that they are overwhelmed by the number of developments in their divisions hence some errant developers use this opportunity to flout construction guidelines.
“Some of the developers work during the night and on weekends yet we have few enforcement officers to comb the entire division to ascertain any illegal developments,” one of the division physical planners said.
According to information from KCCA’s directorate of physical planning, some developers alter approved construction plans without the consent of authorities. KCCA says for one to alter the already approved building plan, they must first seek approval from authorities.
Makindye Division Mayor Ali Nganda Mulyanyama said that KCCA must step up efforts to ensure that all developers adhere to construction guidelines to mitigate collapsing of more buildings. He noted that his role was only political and not technical.
Before one embarks on any development in the city, they are supposed to meet certain requirements to have their plans approved.
These are; a copy of land title, search statement of the land title, payment receipts, survey report from registered surveyor to ascertain open boundaries, verify location and check encroachment; two copies of architectural drawings and signed by a registered and practicing architect.
Others are two copies of structural application certificates signed by a structural engineer, signed structural calculations, a geotechnical report, an excavation plan, a traffic impact mitigation plan, Environmental Impact Assessment Plan and Storm Water Management Plan.
According to KCCA’s website, approval of any development plan takes at least two weeks but it may stretch to one month due to the backlog.
Recent cases
January 24, 2020. A building collapsed in Kagugube Zone in Central Division. No deaths or fatalities were registered.
January 9, 2020. Six people died after a building collapsed in Kansanga, Makindye Division.
January 15, 2020. Three people died after a building located on Plot 17 Gokhale Road caved in.
