KAMPALA – The National Building Review Board – NBRB has asked all the tenants to evacuate Lotis Towers, a 14-level office Block on Mackinnon Road, Kampala on concerns of the compression failure of a Reinforced Concrete Column on the 6th Floor.
Lotis Towers belongs to the billionaire, Samuel Lotigo
The board says their team of Engineers visited the site to conduct a preliminary assessment of the defects on the structure and their effect on the safety of the occupants and the neighborhood.
“While the Project Consultants and Contractor, Roko construction Co. Ltd studied the defects are attempting to rectify the anomaly, NBRB has instructed that the proposed remedial work methodology is submitted to KCCA Building Committee for review and approval.”
The board adds, “It is important to note that while the management of the building presented an occupation permit (a document issued clearing a building for fitness of use), several columns with similar signs of failure were observed in the basement.”
NBRB has recommended the evacuation of the building for safety while a comprehensive structural integrity assessment of the entire building is conducted to inform the next actions to be taken.
This comes shortly after the company ran bankrupt and sold off 150,000 shares to the government of Uganda at 202 billion Shillings amidst protest from a section of MPs.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa told MPs that he had received communication from the Executive that if the government proposal was not approved by the House, Roko was to cease operations.
The Deputy Speaker used his powers and approved the proposal amidst commotion on the floor with some MPs raising the issue of lack of quorum while others shouted that they had not taken a vote, before he immediately adjourned the House.
In his report to Parliament, MP Keffa Kiwanuka, the Finance Committee Chairperson had recommended thorough auditing of Roko, as a condition precedent to signing the Share Subscription Agreement –SSA, by the Auditor General to particularly look at and certify the material assets, debtors, creditors, governance and management.
He noted inadequate and insufficient due diligence by the government noting that the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) which was requested in November 2019 to initiate the process of acquiring equity in Roko through the necessary valuation of the Company was not allocated funds to do so.
