Politics 3 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Engineers Urged to Act Before Building Control Act Amendments Undermine Profession
Amid quiet parliamentary debates on Building Control Act amendments, critics slam UIPE and ERB for silence as non-engineers gain power over structural approvals and local materials like ISSB are ignored. The changes risk excluding small builders, duplicating fees, and compromising public safety without a proper Uganda Building Code after 13 years. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/engineers-ought-to-wake-up-before-the-building-control-act-stifles-the-profession-5445438
Recent amendments to Uganda’s Building Control Act have passed through parliament with little public outcry, unlike the heated debates over the Protection of Sovereignty Bill. These changes hike penalties, streamline approvals, but empower non-engineer building control officers to override engineers on structural drawings.
The Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE) and Engineers Registration Board (ERB) face sharp criticism for their inaction. Despite UIPE’s mandate to protect the profession, no town halls, petitions, or press conferences have emerged. ERB, tasked with regulating engineers, has stayed silent as the National Building Review Board (NBRB) duplicates its powers, forcing engineers to pay dual fees.
Non-engineer officers now hold sway over technical decisions, likened to magistrates overruling judges—a scenario the Uganda Law Society would never tolerate. The amendments prioritize Eurocodes while ignoring local materials like ISSB, murram, and bamboo used by 80% of Ugandans. Thirteen years after the original act, no Uganda Building Code exists.
Small projects suffer most: a simple two-room house in Kyotera could require Shs 3 million in permits, pricing out ordinary builders and teachers. The author warns this criminalizes masons, burdens SMEs, and endangers lives, citing poor projects like Kasubi-Namungoona road.
Calls grow for ERB to apologize, convene an extraordinary meeting within 30 days, push exemptions for small works, mandate engineer-only officers, develop local codes, and streamline clearances. Publish districts with unqualified officers and de-register complicit engineers, or merge ERB with NBRB.
Engineering demands action: standards protect lives, gravity obeys math not meetings. New UIPE president Eng Peterson Mwesiga is praised for potential pragmatic leadership.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)