KCC must enforce building standards

Jan 11, 2009

THE Kampala city authorities have issued a warning to a number of developers whose commercial buildings do not have parking space. The city authorities say that the building plans submitted by the developers had provision for parking space. But developers

THE Kampala city authorities have issued a warning to a number of developers whose commercial buildings do not have parking space. The city authorities say that the building plans submitted by the developers had provision for parking space. But developers altered the plans to exclude parking space.

Consequently, Kampala City Council has demanded that the developers rectify the anomalies to restore the parking space. The city authorities cited the recently-constructed Energy Centre Shopping Arcade along Market Street, E-M Plaza along Kampala Road, Mabirizi City Complex, Sunset Arcade and Yamaha Centre as some of the buildings whose plans were illegally altered. The developers were warned that their buildings will be closed if they do not comply with the directive to restore the parking space.

This move by the Kampala City Council has been long overdue. It is unfortunate that the city authorities had for long failed to take any action on this matter until the Local Government Minister Major General Kahinda Otafiire intervened.

In the first place, KCC should not have allowed the developers to open these buildings for public use.
Over the past few years, a big number of high rise buildings have been constructed within the city centre.

But majority of these buildings have no parking. Instead, most have constructed shops in the basement, which ordinarily should have been reserved for parking.
Some of the newly-constructed high rise city buildings do not even have elevators let alone the facilities for persons with disabilities. Some have been constructed in the road reserves. This is extremely dangerous.

It is a shame that the Kampala City Council officials have condoned the construction of these illegal buildings. It is not surprising that traffic jams have become a permanent feature and a nightmare for motorists in the city.

The city authorities must act now to stop this chaos and avert a looming disaster. The Kampala City Council leaders ought to appreciate the importance of well planned urban development.

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