Museveni Revives 2023 Earthquake Preparedness Order

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has revived debate on Uganda’s preparedness for earthquakes after republishing a three-year-old Executive Order on building safety and disaster readiness.

The Executive Order, originally issued on April 9, 2023, was shared on the President’s official X account on Monday, bringing renewed attention to Uganda’s vulnerability to seismic activity and the need to enforce earthquake-resistant building standards.

The renewed publication comes at a time when the recent earthquake in Venezuela has once again focused global attention on the devastating impact of seismic disasters and the importance of resilient infrastructure.

In the order, Museveni says Uganda lies along three major fault lines—around the Aswa River, Katonga River and the Rift Valley—and warns that lax implementation of government policy on building standards could expose the country to significant losses should a major earthquake occur.

The President recalls a 1997 conference in Kampala where an American geologist, Professor Shah, highlighted Uganda’s earthquake risks, prompting him to direct government agencies to incorporate seismic resilience into infrastructure planning.

Museveni also cites Uganda’s history of earthquakes, including the 1966 earthquake that damaged the Karuzika Palace in Tooro, the 1994 Kisomoro earthquake in the Rwenzori region, and the 2016 earthquake that affected parts of Kyotera and neighbouring Tanzania.

He points to Virika Cathedral in Fort Portal, which survived previous earthquakes because it was deliberately designed to withstand powerful tremors, as proof that proper engineering standards can save lives and protect infrastructure.

The President directed engineers from the Ministries of Works, Lands, Local Government, KCCA and local governments to audit existing permanent buildings, establish national earthquake-resistant construction standards and ensure that all future permanent buildings comply with those standards.

He also instructed government engineers to determine whether older buildings that fail to meet the required standards can be reinforced to improve their resilience.

Uganda lies within the western branch of the East African Rift System, making parts of the country vulnerable to earthquakes, although most of the tremors recorded over the years have caused relatively limited damage.

Museveni said Uganda must avoid the scale of destruction witnessed in major earthquake disasters around the world, stressing that enforcing building standards remains the country’s strongest safeguard against future seismic events.

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