Workers caused collapse of Arua stadium - officials

Engineers supervising the construction of Arua Hill Stadium and Business Centre in Arua City have blamed the collapse of part of the building on negligence of workers.

The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, saw one of the  six cantilevers (beams) collapse.
A cantilever is a suspended part of the building in front of the stadium which helps with the design. There are six cantilevers on the stadium building.

Mr Sunday Etrima, the chief executive officer of Development Infrastructure, a company contracted to undertake the construction works, said two employees, without their authorisation, removed the timber holding the cantilever in place 15 days after it was installed, causing it to collapse.

He added that the timber was supposed to remain in place for at least 28 days. 
“This mistake will be rectified. It will not affect the design and the contract period. We are now removing the concrete so that we can build it and reinforce it for the next 28 days,” he said.
Arua City senior engineer Anthony Dradria said: “Such incidences are common with people who learn on the job. We advise contractors to be careful while employing workers and make sure that they follow the right procedures while undertaking big projects.”

He said they would step up supervision of the construction works in order to give guidance and avoid another incident.

The chairperson of Arua Hill Division, Ms Nesma Ocokoru, said: “We are lucky that no one lost a life. The affected areas should be reinforced so that we do not have a weak building in future.”
After the collapse of the cantilever, the engineers and politicians of Arua City rushed to inspect building, but admitted that they were not involved in the other inspections.
Currently, the workers are roofing the stadium. 

Mr Joel Aita of Joadah Consultants Limited, a consultancy firm hired to help with contruction, said about 70 per cent of the construction has been done.

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