Over 200 fundis trained on modern building designs at Makerere’s CEDAT

Over 200 workers from the five divisions of Kampala city have been enhanced with skills in modern building design and construction technologies.

This was during a training and sensitisation workshop held at Makerere University’s College of Engineering, Design Art and Technology (CEDAT). 

The two-day event ran from Thursday to Friday last week, with an exhibition of building materials from local manufacturers and sellers at Makerere University.

About 50 masons, 50 plumbers, 50 painters and 50 metal  fabricators and different stakeholders in the construction industry attended the event.

Speaking at the event, CEDAT’s principal, Prof. Henry Arinaitwe said the workshop aimed at equipping fundis with formal knowledge and skills in housing design and construction technologies for national transformation and community development.

“So, that’s what we are doing and that’s why we have these interactions even with the fundis so that those things can trickle even up to the lowest building in the industry,” Arinaitwe said.

Arinaitwe also revealed that the university is equipped with a lab that tests standards of building materials and that professionals and builders can visit the lab and test the standards of the materials they have doubts on.

The spokesperson for National Building Review Board (NBRB), Herbert Zziwa said, alongside Makerere and other partners, they used the event to train fundis more and to ensure that they work hand in hand with experts to improve their skills. This, he said, would help them the to do right things while building.

He added that they used the opportunity to train fundis on safety measures  to promote higher standards. 

“We have come to learn that usually when buildings collapse, most of the owners are not present but it’s the Fundis that are always on ground. So, we have to train them on how to prevent these accidents and how to do the right thing while at the grounds.” Zziwa said.

Uganda has a housing deficit of 2.4 million housing units, of which 210,000 units are in urban areas and 1.395 million units in rural areas. 

For many years, the local fundis have been filling the existing skills gap in the construction industry. However, many of these fundis have never received any formal training.