Works Minister to Review Members of Local Government Building Committees

The Minister of Works and Transport, Edward Katumba Wamala, is seeking to reform the composition and operations of Local governments’ Building Review Committees by rescinding the appointments of non-technical officers as heads.  

The Minister has drafted the amendments in the Building Control Act 2013 to stop Chairpersons for Committees on Works, Planning and Development, who are originally elected as councillors in districts and urban local government councils, from heading the Building Review Committees in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

The proposed amendments seek to transfer the powers of the Building Review Committee Chairperson from a politician to a technical Engineer who, in the current legal framework, serves as a member of the committee.

The committee is responsible for enforcing the physical planning regulations by guiding proper infrastructure development and building construction in a manner that ensures the safety of other users. It regularly convenes to review the approved structural plans and occupation permits to ensure that all construction conforms to the standards of urbanisation.

Katumba indicates that he intends to streamline the composition of the committee and the procedures for approval of the building permits and occupational permits to make it more responsible and effective. 

“The bill seeks to cure the defects in the principal Act, by aligning the composition of the Building Committee to include the officer responsible for engineering who shall be the Chairperson, the officer responsible for physical planning who shall the secretary, officer responsible for Health, architect and officer responsible for environment management,” the draft bill partly indicates. 

Similarly, the draft bill also among other things seeks to increase penalty for persons who carryout building operations without valid building permit issued by committee from a general fine of shillings one million or a maximum imprisonment of two years, to 20,000 shillings for every square meter of the built-up area or a jail sentence not exceeding to two years. 

Katumba also intends to reform the composition of the National Building Review Board to include a representative from the Attorney General’s Chambers, to provide legal support in the arbitration of disputes arising from contested construction works.

Meanwhile, the proposed amendments have come in the wake of heated controversies surrounding the operations of Masaka City Building Review Committee, which is facing public criticisms over allegations of corruption. 

In March last year, the Masaka City Council censured Alice Nannungi from the office of Chairperson the City Building Review Committee, following the reports of fleecing huge sums of money from people before having their physical development plans approved to undertake any constructions, and deliberately frustrating developments by investors who decline to conform to bribery advances. 

Zaharah Nalubyayi, the Masaka City Female Councillor of Kimanya-Kabonera division, observes that the amendments are to help save the local governments from the messes by selfish politicians who have been exploiting the committees for self-aggrandisement.