The State Minister for Transport Fred Byamukama has tabled the Building Control Amendment Bill, 2025 which seeks to streamline building control processes in the country.

Specifically, the bill seeks to increase the penalty for a person who carries out a building operation without a valid building permit issued by a building committee from a fine of one million shillings or imprisonment not exceeding two years to a fine 20,000 shillings per every square meter built without a permit, imprisonment not exceeding two years or both.

If the amendments are passed, there will be express penalties for certain offences as may be prescribed by the Minister of Works and Transport by regulations.  The building committees will also be given powers to demolish or order the evacuation of buildings constructed in contravention of the Act.

Other proposals in the bill include streamlining the procedure for approval of building and occupation permits, aligning the composition of the Board to constitute nine members from 16 and aligning the composition of the building committees to include the officer responsible for engineering as chairperson and the officer responsible for physical planning as the secretary.

Since its creation in 2018, the National Building Review Board has strived to ensure a regulated built environment through establishment of building committees in urban and local authorities, carrying out investigations and compliance audits and building partnerships with other stakeholders. NBRB has also developed the Building Industry Management System (BIMS) which automated the building control processes. Through BIMS a developer can apply for building and occupation permit, commit the services of registered professionals, schedule for routine building inspection and pay building control fees online.

Despite these efforts the sector has continued to witness building collapses, fire outbreaks which have claimed lives and property. These accidents are attributed to failure to adequately monitor and inspect building operations and the gaps in the existing laws. The proposed amendments are therefore expected to close such gaps. The Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has sent the bill to the Committee of Physical Infrastructure for scrutiny before being presented to the House for the second reading.