The government of Uganda has revealed that there has not been any backtrack on the commitment of support to land surveyors across the country but rather various initiatives are being taken and brainstormed so as to effectively protect and support the profession.
The Minister of Works and Transport General Edward Katumba Wamala while he opened the pre-Annual General Meeting (AGM) Conference of the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda (ISU) at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala said that the government is committed to ensuring that the surveyors’ profession grows both in market, relevancy, and numbers of trained and Registered professionals year on.
“We appreciate that a lot still has to be done especially in supporting with reviewing the legal framework for Surveyors, right from engaging our sister Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development as regards to delegating my Ministry with the legal formulation process, especially for the Quantity Surveyors,” he said.
Furthermore, in the essence of effective support to surveyors, the Minister said that his ministry will collectively stand in support of the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development as it tables the Valuation Bill and Amendments to the Survey Act so as to clearly envision the ISU mandate of being the center of advancement in Land and Built Environment Management and act as a prime mover for Sustainable Development in the country.
“Surveyors play an important role, especially regarding Land, which is the most important factor of production. As experts in land and built-environment related matters, surveyors are very important in the development of our Country,” said Katumba.
“Government also continues to recognize and appreciate the role of Surveyors For example, in 2019 the section of Valuation in MLHUD was upgraded to a full department of Valuation with the objective of streamlining the Valuation services offered in the country, all of which will contribute to the growth of the profession,” he added.
The minister further justified that much as Government is committed to achieving Vision 2040; which seeks to transform Uganda from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country, Surveyors especially in the Private Sector must understand their very important role, especially in strengthening the fundamentals of the economy which include infrastructure for energy, transport, water, oil, and gas.
“As the government pushes for local content development and local economic development, Surveyors must recognize and make sure they claim what belongs to them in this grandeur of activities. Let’s not forget that Government liberalized the economy and as such, the Ministry of Works and Transport is only charged with providing strategic direction in land-related Infrastructure development and the bulk of the construction must be undertaken by private surveyors,” he said.
The sixth pre-AGM conference ran under the theme; Sustainable Urban Development: The Role of Land and Built Environment Professionals with other regional heads of surveyors’ institutions from Kenya, Rwanda as well as the first African Vice president of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Kwame Tenadu being present.
The minster, however, noted with concern the still persistent challenges regarding bad practices from some surveyors thus urging the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda and the Surveyors Registration Board (SRB) to continue promoting and advancing professionalism and ensure adherence to ethics by addressing salient issues, such as the unethical conduct of surveyors.
“Cases of negligence and fraud are still rampant and are costly to the economy-they must be curbed. The Ministry will continue opening its doors to the discussion of relevant regulations and rekindle Bills that, when enacted, will go a long way in streamlining the surveying profession. Therefore, as you discuss Sustainable Urban Development facing the Surveying profession, put a lot of emphasis on professional ethics and standards’ resilience of your profession,” Katumba Urged.
Nathan Kibwami, the president of the institution reflected on the essence of Massive sensitization which he says is key in guiding the Public on who the right Surveyor is as well as updating Laws to match up to the current Surveying practices.
“We are often attacked and injured or killed while on duty – the recent incident in Karamoja where our colleagues (Mining Surveyors) were attacked, we, therefore, need support from you, the Government, and relevant Ministries. The role of the Surveying Professionals in the economic development of this country is paramount, and they should thus be supported,” he said.
He also reported to the minister about the many people that still masquerade as surveyors, creating a bad image of the profession thus urging relevant authorities of government to make it a mandate for all practicing surveyors to register under the Surveyors Registration Board.
“Therefore, let us continue looking out for each other and capitalize on our respective specialties and strengths,” said Kibwami.
Kibwami further said that whereas the world is grappling with how to achieve sustainable development goals, Uganda in the National Development Plan 3 emphasizes programs on Sustainable urbanization and that as professionals; it’s always of great essence to gather and chat about such agendas.
