Kampala, Uganda | URN | Engineers under their umbrella body, the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE), have called for stricter enforcement of existing engineering laws, warning that weak regulation continues to allow unqualified individuals to undertake engineering work.
Speaking at the fifth Uganda Buildcon Expo in Kampala on Thursday, UIPE Vice President for Finance and Administration Martin Kalibbala said the Engineers Registration Act of 1969 already prohibits anyone from practising engineering without being registered. However, he noted that weak enforcement has enabled unqualified individuals to carry out engineering work, exposing the public to safety risks.
Kalibbala said the Ministry of Works and Transport is working with the Engineers Registration Board (ERB) and UIPE to finalise the Engineers Registration Regulations, which are expected to strengthen implementation of the law by setting clearer professional standards, improving compliance and helping the public identify qualified engineering practitioners.
According to Kalibbala, Uganda has about 12,000 engineering professionals, including engineers, technologists, technicians, graduate engineers and students. However, only about 2,000 are fully registered engineers legally authorised to undertake major engineering projects.
He acknowledged that the number of registered engineers is insufficient to meet the country’s growing infrastructure demands and said the Engineers Registration Board aims to increase the number of registered engineers to 5,000 over the next few years to strengthen professional capacity and improve standards across the sector.
Meanwhile, the state minister for Lands, Harriet Ntabaazi, warned that the government will take tougher action against engineers, contractors and manufacturers whose negligence contributes to building collapses.
She said the era of treating such incidents as mere mistakes is ending, adding that the government is reviewing regulations governing the construction sector to strengthen compliance with building standards and better protect lives.
Ntabaazi said engineers responsible for the design and supervision of buildings must be held accountable whenever structures collapse, arguing that negligence resulting in loss of life should attract severe penalties.
She urged professional bodies to work closely with the government to develop practical, enforceable standards rather than undertaking additional benchmarking studies abroad. The minister also raised concern over the production and sale of substandard construction materials, including steel bars, pipes and other building products.
She said the recently established National Building Review Board should be strengthened to enforce quality standards alongside the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). Ntabaazi warned that manufacturers who prioritise low prices over quality endanger lives and contribute to building failures.
The minister also called on architects, engineers, urban planners, financiers and government agencies attending the expo to agree on minimum standards for construction materials and building practices. She further urged developers and the public to comply with physical planning regulations, warning against constructing residential buildings in industrial zones, building in wetlands or disregarding approved land-use plans.
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