Museveni
KAMPALA — If you are planning to build a house, own a commercial building, manage apartments or operate a high-rise structure in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni’s Executive Order on earthquake preparedness could directly affect you.
In the order, Museveni says Uganda’s vulnerability to earthquakes has been known for decades, but government institutions have not acted with the urgency required.
“I am issuing this Executive Order under the Authority given to the President by Article 99 Clause (1), of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda. I am doing this on the account of the laxity of certain Government organs in relation to their responses to NRM’s Government Policy Guidelines.”
The President argues that Uganda sits on three major earthquake fault lines and says the country must ensure that buildings are capable of withstanding powerful tremors before tragedy strikes.
One of the biggest changes contained in the Executive Order is a nationwide inspection of permanent buildings.
Museveni directs civil engineers from the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Local Government, Kampala Capital City Authority and local governments to inspect existing buildings.
“The Civil Engineers… are, within 2 years from now, to audit and document all the permanent buildings in their respective areas of jurisdiction, as to their strength in case of earthquake.”
The inspections will begin with high-rise buildings.
“They should, in particular, audit the high-rise buildings, starting with those of the ground floor plus one floor. The bungalows can be done last.”
For owners of commercial buildings, apartments and office blocks, this means their structures could be assessed for their ability to withstand earthquakes.
The Executive Order also requires government engineers and public universities to establish new national earthquake-resistant construction standards.
Museveni says engineers must determine exactly how strong Uganda’s buildings should be.
“The Civil Engineers… working with the ones of the Public Universities, [should] determine for the country and inform me within 12 months from now, the minimum strength of the different types of the permanent buildings.”
The President specifically asks whether Uganda should adopt standards capable of surviving earthquakes measuring nine on the Richter Scale.
“Should the building standards cater for the 9 points on the Richter Scale like the Virika Cathedral did or should they be stronger?”
He also instructs Ugandan engineers to seek international expertise.
“They should consult other Civil Engineers abroad, such as the ones in Japan. How did Japan tame earthquakes?”
For Ugandans planning to construct new homes, apartments, schools, hospitals or commercial buildings, the Executive Order signals tougher regulation.
Museveni directs that after the new standards are established, compliance will become mandatory.
“A year from today, once the State Civil Engineers have determined for us the minimum standards of building, no permanent building should be built anywhere in Uganda that does not conform to those building standards.”
That means future building approvals are expected to require compliance with the updated earthquake-resistant standards.
The order also raises questions about buildings that may fail future inspections.
Rather than immediately calling for demolition, Museveni says engineers should determine whether such buildings can be strengthened.
“What should we do with those buildings that will not qualify, especially the storied ones? Are there ways their defects can be rectified? The State and other knowledgeable Engineers will advise us.”
This could eventually lead to renovation or reinforcement requirements for some existing structures.
Why Museveni Says Uganda Must Prepare
The President traces his concern back to a 1997 conference in Kampala, where an American engineering expert warned Uganda about its earthquake risks.
“He pointed out that Uganda has three fault lines – one running along the River Aswa, the other one around River Katonga and the other along the Rift Valley.”
Museveni says he immediately instructed government agencies to incorporate the findings into planning, especially in relation to building standards.
He also recalls Uganda’s history of destructive earthquakes, including the 1994 Kisomoro earthquake in the Rwenzori region, which measured 6.2 on the Richter Scale, and the 1966 earthquake that cracked the Karuzika Palace of the King of Tooro.
According to the President, one structure demonstrated the value of proper engineering.
“The Catholic leaders of Tooro… built a new Cathedral at Virika to withstand the earthquake of 9 points on the Richter Scale.”
He adds: “When, therefore, the Kisomoro earthquake of 1994 occurred, some buildings in Fort Portal area were damaged but not the Virika Cathedral.”
Museveni says this proved that properly designed buildings can survive major earthquakes.
“Proof that deliberately designed buildings can withstand earthquake by any magnitude.”
The President repeatedly cites Japan as an example of how engineering can reduce earthquake deaths.
“I used to hear of people dying from earthquakes in Japan. I no longer hear of such deaths in Japan.”
Although he acknowledges that the Fukushima nuclear disaster exposed vulnerabilities, he argues that improved construction standards have dramatically reduced casualties.
In one of the more unusual sections of the Executive Order, Museveni says traditional Ugandan huts, despite their many shortcomings, were often less dangerous during earthquakes.
“With regard to collapsing in case of earthquake, they were safer because they had less quarrel with gravity.”
He suggests engineers study whether aspects of traditional architecture can be modernised using stronger building materials.
“Can we learn something about their architecture that we can modernize using better building materials?”
Museveni concludes by warning against complacency, pointing to the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving millions homeless.
“That should never be allowed to happen here.”
For ordinary Ugandans, the Executive Order could ultimately mean stricter building approvals, mandatory compliance with stronger construction standards, inspections of existing buildings and possible reinforcement of structures found to be unsafe.
The President’s message is that preparing for earthquakes before disaster strikes will be less costly than rebuilding after one.
FULL EXECUTIVE ORDER WORD BY WORD
I am issuing this Executive Order under the Authority given to the President by Article 99 Clause (1), of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda. I am doing this on the account of the laxity of certain Government organs in relation to their responses to NRM’s Government Policy Guidelines.
This Order deals with Uganda’s readiness for Earthquakes. In the year 1997, there was a conference in Kampala where an American Professor Shah talked about earthquakes and Uganda’s vulnerability to those earthquakes. I had never heard of that problem. He pointed out that Uganda has three fault lines – one running along the River Aswa, the other one around River Katonga and the other along the Rift Valley. Immediately, I informed the relevant Government bodies to incorporate this information in their planning. Especially for the Ministry of Works in relation to building standards, it is a crucial matter.
Moreover, in 1994 there was an earthquake whose epicentre was in the village of Kisomoro in the Rwenzori area. It was magnitude 6.2 on the Richter Scale. This earthquake was a good educator because it confirmed what the Professor had said. Indeed, in 1966, in the month of March, there had been an earthquake that had caused cracks in the Palace of the King of Tooro, George Rukidi. The superstitious Ugandans had taken that as a bad omen, given the chaos that was going on in Uganda at the time – the arrest of the 5 Ministers, the clash between Obote and Mutesa, etc.
However, the Catholic leaders of Tooro, learning from the earthquake of 1966, built a new Cathedral at Virika to withstand the earthquake of 9 points on the Richter Scale. The earthquake of 1966 that had caused cracks in the Karuzika (Palace) of Tooro had been of 6.6 points on the Richter Scale. When, therefore, the Kisomoro earthquake of 1994 occurred, some buildings in Fort Portal area were damaged but not the Virika Cathedral. Proof that deliberately designed buildings can withstand earthquake by any magnitude. Indeed, in the 1950s, I used to hear of people dying from earthquakes in Japan. I no longer hear of such deaths in Japan. What happened? I suspect it must have been the change of the building standards. Nevertheless, even in Japan, there was the disaster of the Fukushima nuclear plant, again caused by earthquakes and tsunami (Ocean flooding). That showed that Japan still had gaps.
Following the Kisomoro earthquake, there were, again, discussions and, indeed, when we were building our Rwakitura house, I told Mama Janet about the standards and I assumed that the responsible people for building were guiding the country accordingly.
However, when there was the Katonga Valley earthquake that affected homes in the Kyotera area and Tanzania in the year 2016, I decided to, again, put in writing my directives. Hence, the letter I wrote on the 11th of September, 2016 to the Prime Minister, which is attached here as annex A.
However, for avoidance of doubt, I am now, again, directing as follows:
- The Civil Engineers of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, those of the Ministry of Local Government, those of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and other Local Governments, to, within 2 years from now, audit and document all the permanent buildings in their respective areas of jurisdiction, as to their strength in case of earthquake. They should, in particular, audit the high-rise buildings, starting with those of the ground floor plus one floor. The bungalows can be done last.
- Secondly, the Civil Engineers of the Ministry of Works and Transport, those of the Ministry of Local Government, working with the ones of the Public Universities, to determine for the country and inform me within 12 months from now, the minimum strength of the different types of the permanent buildings – the bungalows, the storied buildings, etc. should the building standards cater for the 9 points on the Richter Scale like the Virika Cathedral did or should they be stronger? The Engineer-in-Chief of the Ministry of Works and Transport under the supervision of the Minister, to supervise this. In doing this, they should consult other Civil Engineers abroad, such as the ones in Japan. How did Japan tame earthquakes? I last heard of people dying from earthquakes in Japan in the 1950s.
- A year from today, once the State Civil Engineers have determined for us the minimum standards of building, no permanent building should be built anywhere in Uganda that does not conform to those building standards.
- Once the minimum building standards in relation to the earthquakes have been determined, the question will be: “What should we do with those buildings that will not qualify, especially the storied ones? Are there ways, their defects can be rectified? The State and other knowledgeable Engineers, will advise us.
- I have not talked about the traditional huts that are still seen in some few areas of Uganda. Those huts, were quite inconvenient for the occupants. They were not easy to clean with earth floors compared to the cemented floors, they could leak when it rained, more vulnerable to fire and quite dangerous in that event, wild animals could easily grab somebody at night from those huts (kyamutwaara bwaseesire – the animal grabbed him when it was almost morning), vulnerable to destruction by the white ants (enkuyegye, enkyebebe), etc., etc. However, with regard to collapsing in case of earthquake, they were safer because they had less quarrel with gravity. Can we learn something about their architecture that we can modernize using better building materials? Otherwise, the earthquakes were talked about reverently (with respect), naming children after them etc. by the African Societies. That is how you get the numerous Musisis in Buganda. Musisi means earthquake for those who do not know Luganda. In Runyankore, the earthquake is called omutsitsa or ekyitengyeeto (the last simply meaning the shaking of the Earth). The Banyankore talk a lot of the Ekyitengyeeto of 1947 or thereabout. Geologists, kindly help. When and what happened around that time that those Banyankore could be talking about? Otherwise, in the traditional Uganda, we have never had the scale of destruction that we recently saw in Turkey and Syria where over 50,000 people died and more than 2.4million were made homeless. That should never be allowed to happen here.
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 1 OF 2023 | 9th April, 2023
Yoweri K. Museveni Gen (rtd)
PRESIDENT
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