Police hunting owner of collapsed building 

Detectives from police, together with the National Building Review Board (NBRB) were by yesterday still hunting for city businessman Harunah Ssentongo, the owner of the building which collapsed at the weekend.

The detectives are also hunting for the site engineer, architect, and undisclosed number of foremen.

 Mr Ssentongo’s known mobile phone number has been unavailable since then. The incident left at least six people dead and three others injured.

Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire told Daily Monitor yesterday that they were still hunting for the developer.

He also said they had summoned some suspects to help them with investigations. He, however, declined to reveal the identity of the suspects, saying it would be premature to do so.

“We are jointly working with NBRB to investigate this matter,” he said.

Asked which charges would be preferred against the suspects, Mr Owoyesigyire said these will be determined by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The architect and site engineer could not be identified since they didn’t have approved plans from which their identity could be easily established by authorities. 

NBRB standards officer Hudson Mutalya said they are yet to establish who the architect and site engineer of the collapsed building are.

He explained that when an accident happens, the board visits the site and gathers information on who was involved in the construction of a structure and also ascertain whether the materials used were genuine.

“By law, we are required to establish a code, which is a collection of standards that must be met while erecting a structure, and this includes mechanical, electrical, and access standards, especially for people with disabilities and this code is what we use in Uganda because it measures standards and control,’’ Mr Mutalya said.

According to NBRB investigations, the developer of the collapsed building used counterfeit materials, poor workmanship, and did not engage professionals such as engineers and architects. 

“The fast speed at which the building was being constructed, failure to secure building approvals (building permit) and failure by inspectors to carry out their supervisory role,” the Board tweeted yesterday as some of the other causes of the collapse.

Mr Ssentongo allegedly defied Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and continued with construction works despite being served with notices.

According to a statement, which was released by KCCA on Monday evening, building inspectors cannot inspect a structure which is considered illegal.

“…in this instance, KCCA had issued a removal notice, as per Section 72 (1) of the Public Health Act on June 30, and an enforcement notice on July 29,” KCCA wrote.

However, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, on Monday faulted KCCA for not taking action against the developer yet he had no approved plans. 

KCCA on the spot

KCCA’s physical planning directorate has recently been on the spot following the collapse of buildings and experts point to the incompetence of the authority to enforce standards.

To date, the directorate doesn’t have a substantive director and deputy director. The acting director is a surveyor, while the acting deputy director is an architect.

KCCA spokesperson Daniel Nuwabiine said the authority is working towards addressing staffing challenges.