Uganda’s Cabinet has appointed former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) acting executive director and veteran engineer Andrew Kitaka as chairperson of the National Building Review Board, handing him oversight of the country’s top building standards regulator amid persistent concerns over construction safety.
The appointment, approved under the Building Control Act, places Kitaka at the helm of the body responsible for enforcing compliance with building regulations, reviewing structural designs and coordinating building control activities nationwide.
A career civil engineer, Kitaka is best known for leading KCCA’s engineering directorate, where he supervised major road, drainage and urban infrastructure projects that reshaped parts of Kampala.
He later served as acting executive director of the authority before stepping down from public service in October 2020 after years in senior technical leadership.
According to a Cabinet memo, ministers “approved the appointment of members of the governing board of the National Building Review Board under the Building Control Act, which is meant to regulate and coordinate building control activities in Uganda.”
Kitaka assumes the role at a time when Uganda continues to grapple with recurring incidents of building collapses and growing scrutiny over compliance with construction standards.
The board is expected to strengthen oversight of the sector by ensuring adherence to approved building codes and promoting safer construction practices.
The National Building Review Board serves as the country’s principal oversight body for building control, advising on policy, coordinating stakeholders across the construction industry and reviewing technical matters related to structural safety.
Other members appointed to the governing board are Irene Kitara, Henry Kigundu, Irene Achola, Benon Yiga, Chris Opuch, Richard Adrole and Betty Nabbosa.
The appointments come as Uganda seeks to tighten regulation of its rapidly expanding construction sector, with authorities increasingly emphasising enforcement of building standards to improve public safety and infrastructure resilience.