Examining ways of improving on the maintenance culture of public buildings in Uganda.

Abstract

In general, public buildings are under-maintained with a substantial part of the building stock being in danger of deteriorating. Currently, there is a large stock of public buildings in Uganda owned by Central Government, Local Authorities, and Parastatals that are in poor state and require continuous maintenance. Effective Maintenance to a large extent depends on attitude of building owners who is the government in this case to their investment and also on the status and commitment accorded to the maintenance function. There’s been a growing awareness of the importance of systematic and efficient building maintenance similar to any other corporate activity. In this regard, research on maintenance has been conducted both globally and locally and recommendations made. However, despite the numerous researches, and proposed effective maintenance strategies, implementation of the findings has not been forthcoming. It is against this status of affairs that this study was conducted to examine ways of improving on the maintenance culture of public buildings in Kampala. The study used non probability sampling techniques and obtained a sample population of 76% of the target population. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, which was administered to the respondents using drop and pick method. The study found out that maintenance of public buildings was not accorded the priority it deserved and this was shown by the little funds that were allocated to maintenance. The study recommends that the government should increase on the funds it allocates to the maintenance and payment of maintenance staff of these public buildings.