Mikaili Sseppuya
5 November 2008
Kampala — POORLY-DESIGNED buildings are time bombs waiting to explode, Eng. Francis Baziraake has warned. Eng. Baziraake said that some old buildings need to be re-checked for safety because people fear using them.
He said developers of storeyed buildings should employ properly-qualified structural engineers who should follow the standards in order to avoid collapsing structures.
"These days, people are more forced to build storeyed buildings due to the high prices of land," Baziraake said during the World Standards Day celebrations at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
"Also, a number of structures like meeting halls, and churches, which are single storeyed, might be complex due to their geometry, " he said.
Baziraake said recent accidents like the Bwebajja hotel one, Sseguku commercial building, Kyengera Resort, St. Peters Secondary School, Naalya, Kalerwe Pentecostal Church, Bata shoe shop building and NSSF Pension Towers had been subjected to investigations but their reports were not publicised.
The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) public relations officer, Dora Egunyu, said entities that ask for bidders should have specific evaluation criteria to ensure they get the desired results.
"They are supposed to be specific enough in what they want the consultants to do so they can get that.
The PPDA does not go into details usually, except to see that the procedures are followed. If the body which wants the consultants lacks the expertise, it should outsource from Kampala City Council or the works ministry in case of buildings," Egunyu said.
Baziraake said certification of structural safety-related work should be entrusted to qualified and experienced engineers.
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