Kampala City Council Authority’s Directorate of Engineering has ordered that all occupants of Lotis Towers, vacate the building until a re-occupation assessment and inspection is done.
KCCA’s directive follows a recommendation by the National Building Review Board has (NBRB) that tenants of the 14-storey building on Mackinnon Road in upscale Nakasero be evacuated for safety of tenants while a comprehensive structural integrity assessment of the entire building is conducted.
This follows cracks on a compression column on the sixth floor and similar damages on basement columns that engineers fear could compromise the structural integrity of the building that was constructed by Roko Construction and completed in 2019.
Some of the affected tenants include Tullow Oil and Cairo Bank.
In the letter ordering all occupants to vacate that was signed by KCCA’s Director of Engineering and Technical Services, Eng. Jacob Byabakama, the city authority wants the building owners Lotigo Properties to furnish them with a “detailed incident report from a professional structural engineer on the defect, its cause, and structural stability assessment.
KCCA also wants a proposed method for rectification of defects and an application for a building permit to undertake remedial works.