Bwerenga Building Had No Approved Plans Review Board Finds

The National Building Review Board-NBRB has said that its preliminary findings showed that the Holy City Church building that collapsed in Bwerenga, Katabi Town Council, had no permit, no approved drawings, and serious structural flaws.     

In a statement of the findings released on Wednesday evening, the Board said the collapsed structure was a four-level extension ground floor plus three upper floors classified as a Class A building that requires the highest level of approval and professional supervision, but preliminary inspections point to multiple failures.  

“No building permit or approved drawings were found on site. The columns, beams and floors were uneven and irregular in shape. This suggests poor workmanship and a lack of supervision by a qualified professional. No site safety measures were observed in place.”the NBRB statement says in part.   

According to NBRB, the building, an extension attached to the existing steel-frame church hall belonging to Brother Ronnie Makabai, first leaned and tipped over before bringing down the entire structure on Monday evening, October 26, 2026, killing builder Francis Lukwago and injuring 25 others.  

The structure, made of reinforced concrete, reportedly had been completed and workers were carrying out final finishing works including laying terrazzo floors when it collapsed.   

The Board noted that some concrete beams measured up to 60 cm by 60 cm and stretched more than 6 metres without support, while steel bars inside the concrete floors were of different sizes and spaced unevenly, which weakens a floor.   Meanwhile, police have announced an end to rescue operations at the site, although investigations are still ongoing.

Assistant Superintendent Edith Eradukunda, the Entebbe Liaison Officer, says the operation ended October 28, without recovering any additional bodies or survivors.   She however said security teams remain heavily deployed guarding the scene of crime as more investigations are still ongoing into the collapsed building. 

Police confirmed one person dead and 25 others rescued alive from the rubble. The 25 survivors are still receiving treatment at Kisubi Hospital and Entebbe Grade B Hospital.     

The Bwerenga incident is the latest in a string of building collapses in the Kampala Metropolitan Area that have killed and injured scores of people, often followed by investigations with little action. It remains to be seen what authorities will do once investigations into this latest incident are complete. 

Under the Building Control-Amendment Act, 2026, building without a valid permit attracts imprisonment of up to five years and payment of two currency points, equivalent to forty thousand shillings for each square metre of the built-up area.    

Any person whose negligence causes or leads to an accident on a building or building construction site which results in injury or death of another person or destruction of property risks a fine of up to 500 currency points-Shs10 million) or imprisonment of up to 12 years, or both.