By Andrew Irumba
Workers of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and occupants of the newly opened URA Towers in Nakawa were left soaked on Monday, after their building flooded due to heavy rains.
Many of the workers were seen scampering for dear lives while others fidgeted to save computers and other valuables from being swept away by floods that had ravaged the building which rises 23 floors into the sky.
In a video captured by a staff member, employees are seen running away from their desks taking refuge in another corner. Computers which were on desks were left to be pounded by the leaking water.
After a while, some staff members are seen running back to their desks to pull off the computers in order to salvage them from the water impact.
However, It is not clear which floor of the building that officially opened by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in January this year was leaking.
The building also houses the office of the URA Commissioner General Doris Akol.
However, following the shaming incident, URA issued statement about the matter, refuting allegations that the building flooded.
In their statement titled ‘STATEMENT ABOUT ALLEGED FLOODING AT THE URA TOWER’, issued by Vincent Seruuma, the Head Public Relations, URA asserts that;
URA Management has noted with concern of a video circulating on different social media platforms alleging that the URA Tower flooded earlier today during the heavy rains. This is to clarify that there was no flooding at the tower.
The facts of the matter are;
1.The URA Tower is a green building, designed to use a natural ventilation system where fresh air comes through the windows, and hot air rises through the atrium and finally exits through the louvers at the rooftop.
- Today we experienced exceptionally heavy rains with strong winds which pushed rain water through the rooftop louvers that dropped to floor two where the atrium starts.”
They add that “A more robust solution to protect the louvers from such exceptional storms is being put in place while at the same time maintaining the original design features of the building to remain efficient and environmental friendly….”
