Ugandan church extension that collapsed had no permit and 6-metre beams with no support, inspectors say

The extension, a ground floor plus three upper levels in reinforced concrete, was being tied into the steel-frame hall of Holy City Church in Bwerenga, Wakiso District, the Daily Monitor reported. The frame was finished and workers were laying terrazzo when the block leaned, tipped over and then pancaked, according to the board. Rescuers pulled 25 men out alive.

Inspectors found beams as big as 60 by 60 cm (about 24 by 24 inches), some running over 6 m (about 20 feet) with nothing under them, and tied the failure to likely design faults. Slab rebar mixed bar sizes at random spacing. Columns, beams and floors were out of true, which the board read as poor workmanship with no qualified professional in charge. Inspectors found no building permit, approved structural drawings or other clearance on site, and saw no site safety measures. Under Uganda's rules the building is Class A, the tier with the strictest approval and supervision requirements.

Section 45 of the Building Control Act, 2013 makes negligence that leads to death, injury or damage on a site a criminal offence, punishable by up to 12 years in prison, a fine of up to 288 currency points (Shs 5.6 million) or both. The board's findings are preliminary. On Oct. 28, builders' and real estate groups in Kampala called for site inspectors to be held personally liable, pointing to three other deadly collapses this year in Ntinda, Kisasi and Mbale, the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation reported.