KAMPALA – MPs on the Physical Infrastructure Committee of Parliament have grilled officials from the Ministry of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs over the progress of the probe of the condition of Lotis Towers, a 14-storey building on Mackinnon Road after team of independent engineers recommends that it is closed.
Tenants were ordered to vacate building in August, following compression failure of a reinforced concrete column on the sixth floor of the building that threatened the structure integrity of the building.
After questioning on Wednesday, September 21, Eng. Jacob Byabakama, the acting director for engineering at KCCA informed parliament’s committee on physical infrastructure that a team of private engineers was studying the structure, especially the engineering works around the affected floor plus those above and below it.
“We expect the report to be ready in two weeks and the cost of the analysis by the private engineers will be met by the owner of the building,” Byabakama said.
MP Henry Maurice Kibalya, of Bugabula South, said he had fears that KCCA could fail to prevail over the owner of the building, saying it was being developed by one of the powerful people in the country.
David Karubanga, MP for Kigorobya County, who is the committee chairperson said KCCA had mandate to deal with developers who were putting up all sorts of buildings in the city.
He said what KCCA had to do was to furnish the committee with information concerning the structural and enforcement challenges so that parliament could make recommendations to make sure that such were catered for by the government.
KCCA team informed the committee that the authority had 10 building supervisors out of the 15 positions available on the approved structure.
