Kira named best urban entity in building rules' adherence

WAKISO - Wakiso district's Kira municipality has emerged as the best urban entity regarding adherence to national building regulations and codes.

The entity's exceptional performance saw it bag the Building Committe and the Building Control Officer awards during this year's National Building Control awards.

The annual awards are organised by the National Building Review Board (NBRB), an entity under the works ministry.

Building codes are rules and standards set by local authorities to ensure that construction work meets safety, health, and performance measures for buildings, especially in urban areas.

Mandated under section 8 of the Building Control Act, 2013, NBRB is the Government body responsible for enforcing this rule book.

Some of guests who grace the event. (Courtesy Photo)

Building material awards

Kira emerged victorious after shaking off stiff competition from Sheema Municipality in Western Uganda, Soroti City in Eastern Uganda and Kampala City in Central.

Also recognised was Roofings Group Uganda Ltd, which carried the day in the Building Materials Manufacturer's award category.

The company emerged victorious after seeing off Tembo Cement Ltd and Tororo Cement Ltd.

On the other hand, Excel Construction Ltd was the best in the Building Contractor award category. On the way to victory, the company saw off Seyani Brothers Company Ltd and Cementers Uganda Ltd.

Works minister Gen Katumba Wamala (C) arriving for the ceremony at Speke Hotel on Wednesday. (Courtesy Photo)

Building contractors award

In the building award category, a total of five finalists were shortlisted. These included Fairway Hotel, Ndere Centre, NBS Next Media Hub as well as Children's Surgical Hospital and Mount Sinai Kyabirwa Surgical Centre.

In the end, however, it was Mount Sinai Kyabirwa Surgical Centre's entry that pleased the judges.

The winners were announced during a colourful ceremony presided over by works minister Gen. Katumba Wamala at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, night under the theme: Building for Sustainability.

As Uganda's population continues to grow and demand for housing units rises, NBRB is highlighting the need for compliance with the building control regulatory framework.

NBRB says the massive growth is posing a challenge, especially towards the environment, in the way of occupation of gazetted water catchment areas, forest reserves, and open spaces by the population in desperate need of land housing.

Also, as the planet gets warmer, NBRB said there is a need for construction to prioritise environmental sustainability over aesthetics more.

According to Eng. Flavia Bwire, the executive secretary of NBRB, all these were key considerations during the judging process.

Second cohort

Bwire said this is the second cohort of winners, adding that this year's awards focused on both private and public buildings, contractors, and manufacturers of building materials that have met the minimum requirements for sustainability from the users' perspective.

The building committees and building control officers, on the other hand, were assessed on the digitization of processes and procedures and the implementation of NBRB guidance.

The awards embraced public participation in evaluating the built structures across the entire country.

The public rated the performance of the buildings, building control offices, building committees building contractors, and manufacturers of building materials.

This exercise ran from July 17- September 17, 2024.

Maria Walakila of Buganda Kingdom (left) handing the excellence plaque to Roofings Corporate Affairs Manager, Stuart Mwesigwa on Wednesday. Roofings won the Best Building Materials Manufacturer's award. (Courtesy Photo)

Nominations

Nominations from Kampala, Kamuli, Tororo, Nebbi, Mbarara, Kabale, Lira, Ninja, Soroti, and Gulu, among others, were received.

A shortlist of 33 buildings, 14 building committees, 26 building control officers, 11 building material manufacturers, and 10 building contractors was drawn from all nominations.

To ensure impartiality in selecting award winners, the verification and selection committee was constituted by a seven-member technical panel of experts nominated by various bodies, including the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Uganda Auditors Association of Uganda, and Uganda National Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors.

The technical panel of experts traversed the country to validate the influence that we received from the online nominations and assessed it to select the winners.