The Infrastructure MagazineUG

A platform for actors in infrastructure development in Uganda. We're Constructive, Objective, Informative; Known for providing Depth, Insight & Perspective.

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Are you an owner of a construction material maker, construction company, hardware shop, servce provider to teh construction industry? You need to start communicating effectively. Start (Here you can pay Mobile Money) here:https://t.co/FQxz1TDXcG

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Check out my latest product: Are you an owner of a construction material maker, construction company, hardware shop, servce provider to teh construction industry? You need to start communicating effectively. Start here: https://t.co/iFJC8bEBk5

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Wow. You lease a Tesla, use it as your personal autonomous 'self-drive' but also make it available as 'uber' - as you pay the lease.

[ELON CLIPS @ElonClipsX]

Elon Musk: There's no need for Tesla to buy Uber.

“We have millions of cars that will be able to operate autonomously. It's a combination of a Tesla-owned fleet and also enabling Tesla owners to be able to add or subtract their car to the fleet. Existing Tesla owners will be able to earn money by adding their car to the fleet for autonomous use. And I think it's maybe possible for Tesla owners to make more in allowing the car to be added to the self-driving fleet then it costs them in the lease.”

CNBC Interview with David Faber, May 20, 2025

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

From All of Us...

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Our website has undergone a malware attack. We are working to restore it ASAP. We request your patience & understanding.

[Uganda Solar Energy Association(USEA) @useaug]

The RA-PURE Training continues this week at Uganda Technical College – Lira (10th–15th Nov 2025), bringing together freelancer technicians & agricultural officers.

Today’s session focused on hands-on experience with solar water pumps, including both submersible & surface pumps.

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

In a country where we emphasize science, focus on science education, pay scientists more than everyone else...but when it comes to important technical matters, we make political decisions, even where solutions clearly lie in science. Here is some science...

[Buregyeya Apollo, PhD @ApolloBuregyeya]

Are Kampala’s Flooded Basements About to Collapse?
=======

For three days now, photos and videos of flooded basements in Kampala’s commercial buildings have been circulating online. People are asking a fair question: are these buildings about to collapse?

As a structural engineer, my answer is simple but not short:

Most properly designed buildings will not suddenly collapse just because their basements have been submerged for a few days.

However, that does not mean there is no danger. The real risk is deeper and more long term.

1. This is not just rainwater.
===
In design textbooks, flood water is often treated as clean rain. Kampala’s reality is very different.
Our city’s drains carry a mixture of storm water, sewage from on-site sanitation, oil and fuel from garages, detergents, industrial effluent, plastics, and decomposing organic waste. When this cocktail settles in the basement of a building, it brings with it:

1.1. Salts such as chlorides and sulphates
1.2. Acids from decaying waste
1.3. Oils and hydrocarbons
1.4. Fine clays and silts that keep structures damp

Concrete itself can live under water for a very long time. We build offshore platforms, harbour structures and submerged tunnels with reinforced concrete. The problem is not simply “water.” It is what that water carries into the pores and cracks of the concrete and down to the steel reinforcement.

2. Immediate versus long term risk.
===
In the short term, three main structural concerns arise when a basement is flooded.

First is lateral water pressure on basement walls. Water is heavy. One metre of water outside a wall is roughly one tonne per square metre pushing sideways. If water remains outside but is pumped out quickly inside, that unbalanced pressure can overstress a wall that was never designed for it.

Second is uplift, or flotation. A basement is like a boat. Flood water and rising groundwater try to push the floor slab up. If the designer did not check “anti-floatation” properly, the slab can crack or lift, especially in areas built on former wetlands.

Third is softening and erosion of soil. Moving flood water can wash away soil supporting foundations, just as scouring around a bridge pier can cause failure. Repeated flooding and poor drainage gradually undermine the ground that carries the building.

If the building was well designed for these conditions, three days of standing water is unlikely to cause an instant collapse. If the basement was an afterthought on marginal land, with thin walls and poor detailing, the safety margin is much smaller.

The bigger danger, however, is long term deterioration.

3. Corrosion, cracking and the wet–dry cycles.
===
Concrete protects steel reinforcement bars by keeping them in an alkaline environment. Chlorides and other aggressive ions in dirty flood water break down this protective layer and start corrosion (rusting) of the steel bars.

As steel corrodes, the rust occupies more volume than the original metal. This expansion creates internal pressure, leading to cracking and spalling of the concrete cover. Over time, the steel bars that are supposed to carry the load become thinner and weaker.

After the flood is pumped out, basements rarely dry uniformly. Parts remain damp, others dry quickly. The structure enters a cycle of wetting and drying. Ironically, corrosion is often most aggressive in these intermediate moisture conditions, not when concrete is fully soaked or fully dry.

In a city where some basements flood several times a year, the pattern becomes predictable: flood, pump, crack, rust, repeat. The building may stand for years, but its remaining life quietly shrinks.

4. What should we do now?
===
For the current situation, three immediate actions are important.

4.1. Treat flooded basements as structural incidents, not just cleaning jobs.

Pump water out in stages, not violently, to avoid creating large, unbalanced pressures on walls.

4.2 Require professional structural inspections.

Owners should engage competent structural engineers to inspect walls, slabs, columns and foundation areas for new cracks, tilting, soil loss, exposed steel or spalling concrete. Findings should be documented and, where necessary, repairs done promptly.

4.3 Issue clear city-wide guidance.

Kampala Capital City Authority (@KCCAUG ) and the National Building Review Board (@NBRBug ) should publish a simple post-flood inspection and repair protocol: what to check, when to restrict use, how to pump, and minimum repair standards for affected basements.

In the medium term, planning authorities must ask a harder question: why do we keep approving deep basements in known flood plains and former wetlands, without insisting on strict durability and anti-floatation design?

5. Beyond the basements.
===
The real story is not that “all these buildings will collapse tomorrow.” Most will not.
The real story is that floods have exposed our urban culture: our neglect of wetlands, our casual approach to drainage, our tolerance of construction in risky zones, and our weak enforcement of standards.

Kampala’s flooded basements are a warning light on the dashboard. If we respond with science, enforcement and honest planning, we can still correct course. If we simply drain, mop and move on, the next generation will inherit a city with buildings whose decay started quietly, in three days of dirty water we chose to ignore.

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

https://t.co/MkRnxroGWW

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

@Denis_Twesigomw Thanks!

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

We are a media partner at the 8th Annual (Rotating Machinery Technology and Innovation (RoTIC) Symposium , Dubai, 2025
https://t.co/FgAnWOVi3g

[Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area - UDP @GKMAUrbanDevt]

On Wednesday 20th August, we will officially start civil works on Sebugwawo-Bunono-Abayita Ababiri-Kitinda Link.This is another milestone in the implementation of the GKMA-UDP @KagutaMuseveni @WorldBank @AFD_en @HajjatMinsa @kyofakabuye2 @FabriceRulinda @MoWT_Uganda @MoLGUganda

[CCCC(Uganda) @CCCC_Uga]

We remain committed to delivering infrastructure projects of the highest quality, completed on time and meeting the needs of the communities we serve. Here are some of the pictures of the Entebbe Expressway that has eased transport to Entebbe International Airport.
#Buildingaconnectedworld

[Isaac Mutenyo @imutenyo]

But why? This is extreme irresponsibility.
Where are the regulators.

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Exciting News:
Mid East Rotating Machinery Technology & Innovation (ROTIC25) Symposium will take place 22- 24 Sept'25, Dubai, UAE. Will bring together 3,000professionals; 200companies; 70experts. To Book https://t.co/JbwwPzftvQ #RotatingMachinery #Engineering @RoTICSymposium

[Buregyeya Apollo, PhD @ApolloBuregyeya]

When Builders Bury Millions in Walls.
=======

At Capital Shoppers, Ntinda, a retaining wall was pitched with ordinary-looking stones. But buried in that wall, I found a crystal cluster. A geological honeycomb of high-grade quartz. This isn’t just a stone. It’s a semiprecious piece of rock. On its own, it can fetch over one million shillings if marketed right. The quartz crystals it holds can be carefully extracted and turned into necklaces, rings, and carved jewelry sold across the world. And that’s just the beginning.

Quartz isn’t just for looks. It’s used in jewelry and luxury ornaments, healing crystals and metaphysical tools, quartz watches and oscillators, smartphone electronics and fiber optics, UV lab cuvettes and semiconductors, even decorative furniture and countertops.

Yet to the builder, it was just a rock. Why? Because the eyes only see what the mind knows. To someone trained in gemology, that wall contains a million-shilling mistake. To someone untrained, it’s simply a job completed.

Knowledge is power. It’s the difference between paving a driveway and discovering a mine. Between crushing gemstones and cutting them. Between poverty and prosperity.

Uganda is rich. But if we don’t train our minds, our eyes will keep missing the treasure beneath our feet. And we’ll keep burying necklaces in walls.

That is why African Alchemy Gems & Jewellery Ltd @AlchemyJewel exists. We are building Uganda’s first integrated center for gemstone training, value addition, and market-ready jewelry design. From identifying gemstones in the rough to transforming them into export-grade products, we empower Ugandans to see value, shape it, and sell it. No more hidden treasures. No more wasted wealth.

Let our people learn. Let our eyes open. Let our stones speak.

[Nataliey Bitature @drtalieybita]

Thinking of going into business with someone?
Before you shake hands and say, “Let’s partner,” take a minute to pause. Business partnerships can be a beautiful thing, but they can also be messy, draining, and full of regret if not handled right.

A good partnership should multiply your strengths, not add confusion or conflict. That means being clear from the start: What are both of you bringing to the table? How will decisions be made? What happens when things go wrong? Are your values aligned?

Too often, people get into partnerships based on vibes, friendship, or pressure, without setting real expectations or agreeing on boundaries. Then things get tricky when money, roles, or long-term vision come into play.
From handling conflict to protecting your peace and business interests, this is a conversation more entrepreneurs need to have before committing.

If you’re even thinking about going into business with someone, this is your sign to slow down and get honest about what you both want and how it’s going to work. I spoke about this in a recent video. No sugar-coating, just the real talk. Watch it before you say yes to any partnership.

https://t.co/1uzuyqlUCO

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Experts call for deliberate strategy to stop floods in Kampala https://t.co/IwCs0bGheg
@ApolloBuregyeya @GillianLamunu @ivanodongo @BalaamAteenyiDr @Omoding @KCCAUG @d_kamoga @KCCAED @UrbanPlann @ministry_lands @Usmid_AF

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Uganda lagging in green construction https://t.co/WoWdURC6KK

[The Infrastructure MagazineUG @TheinfUG]

Are U a small, medium-sized construction company? materials supplier in the construction industry? Into consulting, architecture, manufacturing,etc? We recommend you get these slides: https://t.co/iBPlx9vJwm @UNABSEC_UG @ApolloBuregyeya @CCCC_Uga @DynacoLimited @emmanuel_dombo