COLLAPSE OF TYCOON’S WALL FENCE PROMPTS INQUIRY

The police in Nalumunye, kyengera town council, wakiso, has surmounted the town clerk over the collapse of a wall fence on sseguku hill belonging to city tycoon shaban senkubuge. This caused damage to another house belonging to Dr Eugene Ruzagira, a senior government scientist at the Uganda Virus Research Institute. It injured three of Ruzagira’s family members. The owner of the damaged building has launched a complaint with the police.

It was a disaster waiting to happen. A perimeter wall was stretched to the breaking point.it arched perilously close to a neighbor’s residential building. Attempts by Dr Eugene Ruzagira, a senior government scientist, to alert relevant authorities yielded no response. The collapsed perimeter wall hit Razagira’s house. Now the police have summoned the Kyengera town clerk and engineers.

COMPLAINT IGNORED

According to the police, Ruzagira lodged a complaint with Kyengera town clerk, Steven Mwasanje, Wakiso district engineer Sam Mwesigwa and the National building review board (NBRB), saying his house in danger, but was ignored.

On Tuesday, September 19th 2023, a downpour saw Ruzagira’s house reduced to rubble and what was left was full of cracks after a perimeter wall fell on it. It was deemed unfit for accommodation. Several household valuables were destroyed as well. Ruzagira and his family have since sought shelter elsewhere. The incident went viral on various social media platforms.

POLICE WANTS EXPLANATION

Kampala metropolitan kampala metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said the police will ask the kyengera town clerk and engineers why they ignored the complaint of DR Ruzagira. He added that when the incident happened, the police officers from Natete police station documented it, adding that they have enough evidence to pin the suspect, Shaban Senkubuge. Police documents indicate that senkubuge is the owner of a two-story house under construction with a perimeter wall that fell on the house of Dr Ruzagira and injured his family members.

VICTIMS OF INCIDENT

Police identified the victims as Dr Rugazira’s son, shaka Ruzagira (9yrs), chef Ivan Mbusa (26yrs), and Bonny Okello (23yrs). The victims are receiving medical treatment. Two of them recovering, but Shaka is still under medical attention at Evalina Children’s Clinic… Charges of rush and neglect act have been preferred against Ssenkubuge at Nalumunye Police Division. The offence elicits a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment upon conviction.

’’The owner of the site, Ssenkubuge has been contacted to report to Nalumunye Police station, and have him interviewed,’’ Onyango stated. The Police have since arrested builder Paul Sebunya.

Speaking at New Vision, Ruzagira said the injured said the injured carry both physical and psychological wounds. He said before the construction of the wall, he contacted several authorities including NBRB. In his letter addressed to NBRB dated December 2022, Ruzagira complained about the illegal construction of a perimeter wall on land comprised in block 377, plot 392, Busiro, Mengo land at Sseguku.

Ruzagira also told the NBRB that construction was being done in blatant violation of safety standards. ’’Our client’s wall fence does not have the capacity to hold the perimeter wall, which is illegally being erected. The impugned construction has posed a threat to me and my entire family because of the debris that continuously falls on my property,’’ he stated in a letter. Ruzagira, therefore, asked the NBRB to invoke its powers under section 43 of the building control act, 2013, to enter the site to determine whether there was compliance with safety standards. Ruagira’s lawyer, Henry Byansi, considers filing a suit against the owner of the perimeter wall at a civil division of the high court, seeking compensation and orders restraining him from continuing with the illegal construction. He also intends to sue kyengera Town Council for breach of statutory duty when they refused to intervene despite calls from the doctor.

NBRB RESPONDS

The NBRB compliance manager, Timothy Mubbala, said they engaged Kyengera Town Council, and at a later stage, the owner of the perimeter wall was arrested and agreement was reached. ’’The owner of the perimeter wall has to be prosecuted because he did not get approvals for the construction of the wall,’’ he said. The lawyer representing the owners of the collapsed perimeter wall, Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, said: ’’Our clients cannot be held liable because it was an act of God. ’’ Efforts to get a comment from Kyengera Town Clerk were futile, as a known telephone number was switched off.  

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