A section of local builders contracted to construct a collapsed three-storied building in Bweyogerere have blamed the site engineer for developing a shoddy construction plan .
On Wednesday evening ,five builders were injured when the building located at Bweyogerere-along the Kampala Jinja highway suddenly caved. Eye witnesses say more than 20 other builders who were resting at the site while waiting for building materials managed to escape after they noticed the building shake .
Those with injuries were reportedly rushed to the nearby clinic in Bweyogerere for treatment.
However,some of the builders have attributed the collapse of the building to a low grade plan by the engineer whose identity is not yet known. They claim the materials used in construction were substandard in quality and fewer.
“The engineer used less construction bars metal because each column had only eight metal bars with less concrete it sat inside and not on the retaining,it was seating in space.As you see that building across ,they used enough concrete”Brian Ssekalala a porter at the site said
His complaint has been backed by Amis Kagezi, the Chairperson Kireku-Railway zone in Bweyogerere Division who seems to agree that the building whose proprietor is yet to be identified could have used poor materials used in construction.
“What i have noticed is the poor materials and few construction metal bars with fewer columns , the foundation was also weak forcing the collapse.We just hear the proprietor is a Hajji,we have a problem where people approch areas and construct without checking with the Local Council Authorities ,this is bad.”Kagezi said
However ,the Kampala deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire has said no death or injuries were recorded in this incident.He says the site engineer is on the run and efforts to locate him are already underway.
“They probably knew it was going to collapse anytime. They were pouring slab for the next floor when it started to show signs of collapse, they all stopped working and got off the building and watched from a distance as their shoddy work collapsed,” Owoyesigyire said.
In September 2021, another building collapsed n Kisenyi,Central Division in Kampala killing five people .
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has been blamed several times for not doing enough to regulate the construction of mushrooming buildings in the City hence their collapse .
