Constructors demand industry regulation

By Ndigabasa Francis

Construction companies have called on government to intervene and regulate the building industry.
The managing director of Pearl Engineering Company, Eng. Birantana Gumisiriza said regulation would make the industry free from quack construction companies.

He was reavealed this to Nile Fortune in his office ahead of celebrations to mark fifteen years of the existence of Pearl Engineering Construction Company .

He said government should institute stringent penalties to curb the activities of such companies.
He decried the escalating prices and the infiltration of substandard building products in the market.
For the last five years, there has been an increase in the number of collapsing buildings particularly in Kampala.

President Museveni recently said construction companies that do not heed to the guidelines governing the industry should be punished. The sector in Uganda is still growing. Most vibrant companies involved in the construction of major projects in the country are foreign.

He said government should take lead in the fight against the supply of substandard construction products in the market. A recent survey done by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards revealed the industry has not been spared in counterfeited products.


Industry players say the problem of counterfeited building products emanates from the massive exportation of construction material to neighboring countries.

Uganda exports a lot of building materials like cement, iron bars ,roofing material and Southern Sudan has remained Uganda’s primary recipient .

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The Uganda Dental Association is urging the government to review its policies to ensure delivery of better dental services in the country.

The association has developed guidelines, which highlights where the gaps are in the delivery of dental services countrywide.

The General Secretary of Uganda Dental Association, Dr Davis Nturume says there is need for the government to prioritize the dental sector, whose services have remained undermined by lack of equipment, especially in public hospitals.

Dr. Nturume says the country has over 200 qualified dental surgeons whose efforts have been largely frustrated by poor facilitation in the hospitals.