Of the Nyagatare disaster and the “lessons learnt” ridicule

Picture this: a person comes up with an idea to construct a building, and this is not just an ordinary person but a qualified engineer. Without any architectural design, no implementation plan, without a construction permit and without any form of clearance from the Land Centre and district authorities, the engineer erects a four storey structure and as expected the results are tragic. The building collapses like a pack of cards. Six people die. Reader, this is not an extract from a novel that I’m writing but preliminary findings of an investigation into last month’s collapse of a commercial complex that was under construction in the Eastern Province town of Nyagatare. The report was released last week. While this is not the first such catastrophe to be witnessed in the construction sector, the manner in which the whole construction project was handled is baffling. How could someone erect a four storey structure in the middle of town without the necessary clearance from the district authorities? How was such a big construction project implemented without inspection from the relevant authorities? Now we know that not only was the building constructed without approval from the relevant authorities, but the materials used in the construction were found wanting. Something more that leaves a sour taste; just after the report was released, district leaders were quick to point out (what a disguise of inefficiency!) lessons (did they deliberate on how hard such a lesson is?) learnt from the incident (read negligence). Under normal circumstances we would have expected leaders directly involved in the neglect that birthed the mishap to resign their positions. We are talking about six lives lost, with many more nursing injuries, and then add the widowed and orphaned in the sad equation. And the local leaders, with such taunting ridicule, are talking of ‘lessons learnt? Why can’t they earn the wages of their sins? Rwanda is ‘one big construction site’ and unless stringent measures are taken to regulate the construction industry, we are braced for many more catastrophes of this kind. Rwanda’s reconstruction process has been hugely built on a foundation of accountability, accountability to self, to the people one leads and accountability to the state. Accountability naturally comes with reward or punishment. The report into the Nyagatare disaster should not gather dust but be acted upon. Culprits should be brought to account. This incident also brings the issue of the quality of our engineers to the fore. We now know that the owner of the collapsed structure was a qualified engineer. He was actually foreseeing the construction of the building. On the fateful day, he is said to have been on the fourth floor inspecting final works before going down with his ‘master piece’ and, for all it is worth, he was among the injured. The Institute of Engineers has its work clearly cut out. It is not clear if the owner of the collapsed building is registered with the institute. In line with the code of ethics and internal regulations that govern the trade, such errant engineers should be de-registered and other punitive measures meted out. All engineering services should be provided by registered professionals so that they are held accountable in case of any mishap or shoddy work. The process of vetting engineers joining the institute should be made more stringent so as not to compromise quality. As local universities continue to produce hundreds of engineers each year, it is important for training institutions to partner with professional organisations like the Institute of Engineers to address the mismatch between training given in universities and the desired skills on the market.

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Of the Nyagatare disaster and the “lessons learnt” ridicule