An assessment of the impact of counterfeit and sub-standard building materials on the performance of Uganda's construction industry

Abstract

The construction industry is considered one of the most affected sectors in regard to counterfeiting and the use of substandard building materials. Uganda’s construction industry is not spared, every now and then government bodies are frequently coming out with reports to warn the general public about the infiltration of counterfeit building materials in the construction industry market. Literature and other related reports have noted that the dangers of using counterfeit and substandard building materials are very severe one of the commonest being the increased collapse of building in Uganda. This research was aimed at assessing the impact of Counterfeit and Substandard building materials on the performance of Uganda's construction industry The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design. A sample of 93 respondents was used and simple random sampling was used to select the subjects of the study. A total of 93 questionnaires were issued and only 89 questionnaires were received fully answered. The study used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 25.0 to analyse data and the results were presented in form of tables, figures, charts, and graphs. The results revealed that the risk associated with C&SS materials in the construction industry is very high and there was a need to actively engage the general public and suppliers in fighting the use of C&SS building materials. The study also revealed that there is a need to establish a body solely responsible for monitoring and eliminating counterfeiting activities within the industry.