Strategies to minimize collapse of buildings in Uganda

Abstract

This study intends to evaluate strategies to minimize collapse of buildings in Uganda with Kampala as a case study and is guided by the specific objectives reviewed in the literature that include assessment of the level of compliance with the established building regulations by the participants involved in construction, assessment of causes of collapse of buildings in Kampala, and documentation of stakeholder related consequences as a result of collapse of buildings. The research design used to answer the research questions of this study is quantitative because it involves the use of statistical analysis to obtain findings from the 51 respondents. Although Kampala Capital City Authority and other authorities has developed strategies to prevent collapse of buildings, a problem that still affects many areas of the city and whose causes are examined in this study. The results of the study show that buildings without approved drawings, the use of unqualified and unregistered engineers during construction, and bad workmanship, were the main causes of collapse of buildings. Failure to repay borrowed resources from financial institutions, followed by the developer's loss of resources, and injuries/loss of lives. These were the main effects caused by collapse of buildings. Planning was among the available techniques to prevent collapse of building, followed by efficient communication between all stakeholders engaged in the construction process, according to research findings. In conclusion, it was discovered that Kampala's high occurrence of building collapses was primarily caused by human activity. Increased outreach and sensitivity-raising, incorporation of the LC1 chairpersons on the board, and the public on the refusal to disclose suspected cases of ongoing construction seem to be going against the fundamental rules of building, among others.