Abdul Mutebe

All about construction

[Mwami lu @lulanzeashirafu]

Uganda has a silent rule about progress: often, the people nearest to you are the ones who slow you down.

We call it PHD, which stands for Pull Him Down syndrome. It is more than a habit. It is treated like a national game, played with more energy than a Kampala derby. In this country, working hard annoys those doing nothing, and success is treated like a problem. We are fully staffed in gossip and completely broke when it comes to real support. Perform well and you become a target. Outshine the person next to you and people start investigating you. A foreigner in old clothes gets praised as an investor, while a Ugandan in a neat suit is quickly called a thief.

Consider Anne Juuko. Even after she earned a regional promotion, groups mobilized to stop her from getting bigger jobs across Africa. We struggle to celebrate our own when they rise too far.

In offices, some people have turned betrayal into a profession. They will buy you lunch, then forward your small mistake to your boss the same day. Their ambition is not to grow. It is to push you out so they can take your position.

Social events are full of double talk. At bridal showers, everyone cheers Yaaas Queen, then later whispers that the groom is unfaithful. Post a photo of your baby and you will get so adorable in public, and mockery in private chats. Some people even play doctor, analyzing a newborn’s features to guess the father before the mother leaves hospital.

Weddings reveal our contradictions. We will spend nights raising 80 million for a one day party, but will not contribute 100k to help the couple start a business. We fund the food to count the plates, not to build the marriage. Many would prefer to watch it fail after six months just to say we knew it.

At Kwanjula, dowry lists look like state budgets with tractors, cows, and fridges. Families are not looking for a son in law, they are looking for funding. If you struggle to pay, you are wasting time. If you pay quickly, they assume you are connected to someone powerful.

Online, activists with broken phones attack rich people on X, calling everyone corrupt while owing money at the local shop. They demand change in public, then send DMs to the same people asking for transport.

Even doctors face this. Succeed and colleagues say you are experimenting. Lose a patient and they rush to the media. Some prefer empty hospitals to seeing a peer become a top consultant.

Trusted friends leak your secrets within minutes, sharing them for public awareness. Landlords raise rent when you buy a TV. Some tenants damage property and disappear at night.

In churches, some leaders pray for their boss to fall so they can take over. In villages, owning a car makes you a walking wallet. Relatives demand money, and if you refuse, they threaten tradition.

The worst critics sit at your table. They will not celebrate your car. They will hope it fails. They will not admire your house. They will look for a free room.

In laws drain your resources and gossip in groups you are not in. At funerals, we will not give 10k for medicine, but we will raise millions for burial, then fight over property before the body is cold. Pray for this country.

✍🏼:Deox T

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@912CroozeFM This image was not necessary

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@nbstv Was it approved to be stolen?

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@observerug Sounds like a movie script
CORRUPTION

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@MrBusinge They create their own news and when the press reports it directly they say it's biased news

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@NamaraDennisMP @nbstv Fighting the LOP has never been a matter of national importance

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@nbstv @NamaraDennisMP What does the constitution say about Independents?
The law should provide for the leader of independents because they are not opposition they are supposed to be mutual

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@PoliceUg @Lukowoyesigyire Those guys have friends in police where do they get the guts to make such videos and post them on social platforms
Some police posts the ocs are after money such criminals are their source of income and they know where they operate from

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@NewtonAllan6 But the mother's know the truth.And to the men who shared those sumbiz with Kafero it's time to go and claim their children

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@NamaraDennisMP @Parliament_Ug 260 roads isn't that a whole district or more ok be specific and tell us how many kilometers
Secondly land 4000 people how big is land do own a whole sub county and beyond

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@AllanSseky Tears must have been rolling in this man's eyes
Imagine doing a DNA test on you at this age nga nomwenge gukumazewo

[Joel Ssenyonyi @JoelSsenyonyi]

I’ve been seated on the ferry meant to go to Kalangala from Bukakata for close to two hours, but it has not set off.
I’m told there’s been an instruction not to set off because there is no “clearance” yet for me to proceed to Kalangala, where I’m meant to be one of the supervisors for our candidate Nampala Irene’s team in the by-election.

On the ground, we’ve been getting numerous reports of numberless cars moving to various polling stations, and reports of ballot staffing.

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@NIRA_Ug Where is Kampala(12) -Kampala central division (034) office i want to collect my id

[Robert H Kiggundu @kaigu55]

When the Building Control (Amendment) Act (2026) was publicised in April this year, my WhatsApp inbox was flooded. Friends were panicked, asking: “I’ve lived in my self-built house for ten years without an occupation permit—am I going to jail?” As is my habit, I stayed quiet while emotions were high. When people are worried, they often miss the facts.
Now that the dust has settled, it is time to look at what this law actually says. It turns out that while some parts are stricter, other parts of the amendment are actually great news for law abiding citizens. The biggest surprise for many of you will be that the bit you were all worried about – the requirement to have an Occupation Permit (a document proving your house is safe to live in) is not new. It wasn't brought upon us by these recent amendments in 2026, not even in the original Act of 2013. This has been a legal requirement in Uganda since 1935 under the Public Health (Building) Rules. So, why are people suddenly worried? Mostly because, for decades, the law was rarely enforced. Many Ugandans build their own homes slowly, moving in as soon as the roof is on and the windows are in, often forgetting the final paperwork. I hear many of you asking, so what happens in the case of us who never got these permits? My quick answer is that you should start on the process to get one, no one will penalise you for having not had one for all those years, but it may help you deal with future headaches.
As for the amendments, or the new law, there were many good things that got lost in the commotion about occupation permits. For the first time, the law addresses the "red tape" that frustrates professionals and developers. In the past, you could submit your building plans to a local Building Committee and wait months—or even years—for a response. Under the 2026 Amendment, there is now a ticking clock for local government officials. If you apply for a permit to start construction, the authorities must give you an answer in a prescribed time. If they sit on your application, you can complain to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in the district or the Town Clerk in a town/city. These officials are now legally required to ensure a decision is made within 30 days. If it is your completed structure that you want to move in, and the good members of the Building Committee decide to take their sweet time, you can complain to the CAO or Town Clerk and get a decision within 14 days. This is a huge win for us. It removes the pressure from the developer/professional to these public servants to do their jobs efficiently.
Secondly under Section 18 of the new law, following the National Building Code is no longer just a "suggestion" as it has been perceived by many developers (and professionals) —it is a mandatory duty. This is especially important for those building apartments, shopping malls, or hotels. The Code sets the rules for what a concrete mix should be, how electrical wiring should be done, and how fire exits should be designed. By making this a statutory duty, the law aims to compel those involved in construction not merely to be bound by professional practice but have a legal obligation to comply with the codes. Hopefully this will address the heartbreaking trend of buildings collapsing and killing innocent workers every now and then. What this amendment has done, is to make it easier to hold people accountable when things go wrong. Previously, if a building collapsed, the legal process to prove who was "negligent" was long and complicated. Now, the standard for liability is much stricter. If an accident occurs on a construction site resulting in injury, death, or property damage, the law focuses on the fact that the accident happened. You can no longer easily hide behind the excuse of "I didn't mean for it to happen". This puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the developer and the professionals they hire. In effect, the 2026 amendments introduce a much stricter enforcement regime. To protect yourself, do two things: 1) Only use architects and engineers who are officially registered. "Quacks" might be cheaper, but they will leave you legally exposed if the building fails. 2) Don't start construction without a building permit or get a building occupied without an occupation permit.
The new law is a step in the right direction, but its success will depend on two major factors: honesty and awareness. We have had building laws since 1935 that were ignored because of corruption and/or lack of knowledge. For this new law to work, local authority officers must stop looking at building permits as an opportunity for them to make quick money and start seeing them as a tool for public safety and better built environment for all of us and those to come after us. As professionals and developers, we must play our part by following the laws in place. Using political influence (developers) and stamping drawings (professionals) that we have not personally prepared or supervised should stop. I doubt that the goal of these amendments was to stop you from occupying your house or from building one of your dream; they were mainly introduced so that we are all safe and healthy, in a built environment that we are all proud of.

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@ALBizimana @MickyJnr__ Yes it's a foreign club and we all know why it's there but they should have made it mandatory for it to have at most two rwanda players, because for as long as it's still playing from rwanda it will dominate that league and this is bound to affect the quality of the league

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@nbstv Corruption corruption corruption and I repeat corruption yes corruption

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@BBCWorld Those are disgruntled Manchester United fans

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@mkainerugaba Be aware that even those around you their hidden agenda is to steal

[Abdul Mutebe @AbdulMutebe]

@mkainerugaba Arrest all the thugs in parliament