MPs have questioned the National Building Review Board (NBRB) over gaps in building inspections, weak enforcement of construction regulations and the increasing number of buildings collapsing across the country.
The MPs, who sit on the Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), also raised concerns about the safety of the ongoing construction works at Parliament, questioning why the new parliamentary chambers and perimeter wall had not yet been inspected by the board.
The committee, chaired by Kyadondo East MP Muwada Nkunyingi, questioned officials led by the board’s Executive Secretary, Eng. Flavia Bwire, about the measures they had taken to prevent building collapses and whether the institution had the resources and capacity to enforce construction standards.
“We are happy to see you today explain to us why buildings are collapsing, leading to accidents. What have been your interventions?” Nkunyingi asked.
He said the committee wanted the board to explain not only the causes of recurring building collapses but also the gaps affecting inspections during construction and the urgent measures needed to address them.
Bukoto South MP Hakim Kizza Sawula questioned the status of the building permit for the ongoing construction works at Parliament, saying it had expired. He asked whether the board was aware of the development and whether it had carried out the required inspections.
Sawula also questioned the duplication of responsibilities between the board and local governments, arguing that overlapping enforcement roles could lead to unnecessary expenditure of public resources.
He further accused the board of sidelining elected political leaders under the National Building Review Board Act, yet expecting their support when lobbying for increased government funding.
Bungokho County South MP Geofrey Wokuri asked the officials to explain the common causes of building collapses, particularly in urban areas, where construction activities have increased.
Nkunyingi also questioned whether MPs and other people using Parliament would be safe in the new chambers once construction is completed, given that the board had not yet inspected the chambers and the perimeter wall under construction.
He challenged the officials to explain why the board had not inspected the projects and whether they had any concerns about the safety of the structures.
Lugazi Municipality MP Richard Senteza questioned whether the board was fulfilling its mandate under the National Building Review Board Act, particularly in monitoring the operations of building committees established by local governments.
He wanted to know whether the committees were fully functional and how effectively the board was enforcing the different provisions of the law.
Elgon North MP Gerald Nangoli asked the officials to explain the progress of inspections at Ham Properties, located along the Nakivubo drainage channel.
He also questioned how members of local government building committees were appointed, how the board was addressing staffing shortages in the committees and the number of engineers recruited to strengthen building inspections.
Nangoli further asked how long it takes for a developer to obtain a building permit, raising concerns about delays in the approval process.
Before allowing the board’s accounting officer to respond, Nkunyingi asked its communications manager, Herbert Zziwa, a former journalist, to explain how the institution was using the media to educate the public and discourage illegal construction.
Zziwa said the board had conducted regional public meetings, commonly known as barazas, in Jinja, Soroti, Gulu and Mbarara to educate communities about building regulations.
He said the board planned to extend the meetings to Masaka, Fort Portal and Hoima.
Zziwa explained that the public awareness campaigns were intended to help people understand the importance of obtaining building permits and complying with approved construction standards.
He said the board had also held radio and television talk shows, radio mentions, advertisements and other media engagements across the country.
Zziwa added that whenever the board received reports of illegal construction or other building-related incidents, it first engaged the respective local government building committees to address the concerns.
Responding to the MPs’ concerns, executive secretary Flavia G. Bwire said the board had embarked on automating building committees across the country to improve monitoring and make building approval processes more efficient.
She explained that digitising the approval processes would help reduce the backlog of applications and improve the board’s ability to monitor developments in different local governments.
Bwire also revealed that the board had acquired land from Makerere University to establish a National Building Research Centre, which she said was urgently needed to strengthen research and improve the institution’s ability to mobilise revenue.
However, she expressed concern about the limited use of automated systems by some local governments and the failure of several building committees to comply with the requirements of the law.
She said the board continued to face serious financial constraints, explaining that although it had proposed a budget of Shs33 billion, the government had allocated only Shs11 billion.
Bwire said the funding shortfall was affecting the board’s ability to effectively carry out its mandate, including monitoring construction activities and supporting building committees across the country.
She also informed the committee that the board was undertaking a nationwide baseline survey of buildings constructed since independence to establish the state of the country’s building stock.
