Nankabirwa asks Works ministry to supervise new city buildings

Energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa has asked the Ministry of Works and Transport to start supervising all buildings being constructed in the newly created cities to ensure that they adhere to environmental  and safety standards.

Ms Nankabirwa made the call during the handover of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) House in Kampala yesterday.
She commended the managers of ROKO, a construction firm, for completing the project, which cost Shs26.7b. The Transport ministry supervised the works that took 27 months.

Ms Nankabirwa said the completion of the building demonstrates that Ministry of Works and Transport officials have the capacity to ensure that construction companies adhere to environmental standards.

“Ministry of Works should help us regulate all the buildings coming up in the new cities. The new ERA House will showcase what is smart. I do not know whether we have such buildings in Uganda,” Ms Nankabirwa said.

The minister said the new building has created what she called “a paradigm shift” in the construction of government projects. Ms Nankabirwa described the multi-billion building as self-sustaining, uses less water, electricity and depends on the natural environment for aeration and lighting. 

She also commended ERA officials for declaring unspent balances on the project. “We have never heard in Uganda that a project is completed and the balance of the money is declared. In some projects they ask for more money, in others they will not declare what remained and you wonder how exact they were with their expenditure,” Ms Nankabirwa said.

Ms Zilia Tibalwa Waako, the ERA chief executive officer, said the building was designed at a cost of Shs34.4b but actual construction cost was Shs26.7b, thus  saving Shs7.6b.

The building is fitted with a building management system.

“This is a smart-green building which monitors all key systems, including the lift, access control, energy usage and light management. We have a gym and breastfeeding area. The building has two standby solar power systems, we have provision for bicycle parking racks,” she said.

Asked how much they are saving from the new building, Ms Tibalwa said unlike the old one, which housed only 25 staff, the new ERA House will accommodate 120 staff members. 

They also hope to cut energy bills by more than half of  Shs5m they pay every month. Ms Tibalwa added that they will reduce catering bills since they have an in-house kitchen.