Nine rescued as four storey building collapses in Kawempe

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Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) on Friday, June 5, reported the rescue of nine victims after a building under construction collapsed in Kisota Zone, Kikaaya Parish, Kawempe Division, Kampala district at 1:00 pm.

Racheal Kawala, the KMP spokesperson, said detectives at Kira Road Police Division are probing the case.

According to unconfirmed information from witnesses, two casual labourers reported missing were covered by the debris, including concrete bricks and iron bars.

“Rescue operations are still ongoing to establish whether there are additional persons trapped under the debris and to determine if there are any fatalities. Police have commenced investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the site supervisor and any other persons who may be held responsible to assist with the ongoing investigations,” Kawala said.

The incident comes hardly two months after President Yoweri Museveni, in April this year, assented to the Building Control (Amendment) Act, 2026, which gives regulators stronger powers to enforce safety standards, including the authority to demolish unsafe structures.

The law granted the National Building Review Board (NBRB) more powers to ensure building standards are not breached.

Under the new law, negligence, if proved, whether during construction or in completed buildings, now carries fines of up to sh10 million or 12 years in prison, or both. Building without a permit, continuing construction after expiry, or using prohibited methods now attracts fines calculated per square metre, dramatically raising the cost of non-compliance, among other penalties.