By Spy Uganda
The Police in Kampala are hunting for the owner of a storeyed building in which 9 people died after it collapsed, leaving many others injured.
According to eyewitness, nine people were confirmed dead and two others were rushed to Mulago Referral Hospital in critical condition after a building they were constructing collapsed on them in Lukuli-Nanganda Village, Makindye Division in Kampala.
The three-storeyed building located along Soweto Road, collapsed Saturday night leaving several construction workers trapped in the rubble.
The workers have been staying on-site following a presidential directive which restricted movement of people in a bid to stop further spread of COVID-19.
Twaha Bogere, local council chairman, said: “40 people have been working on the building but 20 of them spend nights at the site due to the COVID-19 curfew. It is those who sleep at the working place which have perished.”
Preliminary investigations indicate that substandard materials were being used in the construction of the four-story building.
Douglas Nsubuga, Kampala city council engineer, said in an interview that they had instructed the owners of the building to stop the construction as they were not following the required standards, but they did not heed the instructions.
He said that the chief engineer at the site had reportedly not been there for some time and had left his responsibility to his inexperienced assistant.
However, despite the tragedy, efforts by the police to locate the owner of the building such that he/she can help them with investigations into what cloud have caused the building to collapse are still futile.
But it should be noted that several innocent Ugandans have lost their lives in the recent past as a result of collapsing buildings.
At least three high-rised buildings have collapsed in the city in the past few years. They include one in Bakuli, another one in Kansanga and another in Makerere-Kagugube zone, not forgetting the J&M Hotel building in Bwebajja, along Entebbe Road, which claimed lives.
The collapsing of buildings not only puts the city authorities on the spot but also points to the futility of implementation of construction laws.
Apparently, the city is grappling with emerging buildings without unapproved construction plans.
According to information from Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), some developers alter approved plans without the consent of authorities while those without approved plans construct at night to evade detection and arrest.
KCCA says for anyone to alter the already approved building plan, they must seek approval from the authorities.
