MBARARA, Uganda — A top official in State House on Friday called for the widespread adoption of an automation system in the construction sector to combat bureaucracy and eliminate corruption.
Col. Edith Nakalema, head of the State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU), urged the National Building Review Board (NBRB) to fully utilize its Building Industry Management System (BIMS) to streamline approvals and remove “wrong elements” from the industry.
“Through automation, we shall be able to speed up the approval process and improve revenue,” Nakalema said at the close of a three-day NBRB workshop on building control in Uganda, held in Mbarara City. “The BIMS will help us move together by swiftly driving building control activities.”
The workshop, organized by the NBRB, brought together Building Control Officers (BCOs) and Physical Planners (PPs) from across the country. Nakalema assured them of SHIPU’s support in creating a favorable environment for investors in construction, emphasizing the need for efficiency and transparency.
Nakalema also highlighted concerns raised by Ugandans regarding Physical Planners and BCOs, including project delays due to payment issues and poor planning, unfair procurement practices marked by a lack of transparency and alleged favoritism, and poor workmanship resulting from substandard materials and unskilled labor.
Eng. Flavia Gutto Bwire, the NBRB’s executive secretary, thanked the officers for their commitment to improving infrastructure quality. She said the automation system would expedite building plan approvals and assured stakeholders that the NBRB was ready to address any dissatisfaction.
The chairperson of Building Control Officers, Denis Sekitoleko, said officers resolved to collaborate with Physical Planners to educate communities on building control.
Mwijuka Simon, representing the Mbarara City Traders Association, called for engineers to sensitize citizens on planned construction but also criticized laxity in approving and supervising construction sites.
The workshop aimed to familiarize BCOs and PPs with a harmonized workflow for development and building control operations in local governments, clarifying their roles in the approval and inspection processes.
