Frequent building collapses are a result of cutting too many corners

By Lyamuya Stanley

The construction industry in Tanzania encompasses a wide range of civil engineering works, including roads, bridges and buildings. In this piece, I focus on the mushrooming of multi-storey buildings in major cities such as Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Arusha, Mwanza and Dodoma.

While these structures signify urban growth, the alarming rate of building collapses underscores deep-rooted issues in regulation, enforcement and professional conduct. The collapse of a multi-storey building in Dar es Salaam on Saturday is a tragic reminder of systemic failures in urban planning, enforcement of construction regulations and governance.

It is a stark reminder of failures in such aspects of the role of regulations and sign boards in construction, poor supervision, lack of accountability, exploitation of young professionals and weak regulatory oversight.

For instance, every construction site in Tanzania is legally required to display a sign board with detailed information about the project, including the owner, contractor, architect, structural engineer and other professionals involved. These sign boards also indicate that the project has been approved by local authorities, such as municipal or city councils and adheres to the standards of bodies like the Contractors Registration Board (CRB), the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Registration Board (AQSRB) and the Engineers Registration Board (ERB).

However, compliance with these laws is often superficial. In many cases, professionals listed on sign boards are not actively involved in the projects. Instead, clients purchase the names and credentials of registered professionals to create the illusion of compliance while bypassing critical oversight.

Most clients see hiring professionals as an unnecessary expense. They rely on unqualified workers—masons, carpenters, electricians and plumbers—who work without the supervision of registered professionals. This compromises the integrity of the construction process, from soil testing to final execution.

Even when professionals are involved, they often lack adequate oversight. For instance, structural engineers may specify foundation requirements based on soil tests, but these recommendations are frequently ignored or fabricated to expedite approval. In some cases, reports from unrelated sites are reused with minimal modifications, undermining the foundation’s integrity.

The collapse of multi-storey buildings in Dar es Salaam, such as the 2013 disaster on Indira Gandhi Street and Saturday’s tragedy at Kariakoo, is a direct result of these systemic failures. The absence of qualified resident engineers on-site, as mandated by law, reflects the regulatory bodies’ failure to enforce their own standards.

Another concerning trend is the exploitation of fresh graduates by architects who dominate project negotiations. To maximise profits, lead consultants often hire inexperienced professionals for minimal fees. This practice not only undervalues the role of structural engineers and quantity surveyors but also compromises the quality of work.

In some cases, building designs are created by draughtsmen rather than qualified architects. These designs are then rubber-stamped by registered professionals to meet legal requirements. Such shortcuts not only devalue professional standards but also put lives at risk.

The responsibility for these failures lies partly with regulatory bodies like CRB, AQSRB and ERB. Despite their mandates, these organisations have struggled to enforce compliance. For example, the law requires the presence of a registered professional resident engineer at construction sites for large projects. Yet, investigations often reveal that no such personnel were present during critical phases of collapsed buildings.

The sudden collapse of the 16-storey building on Indira Gandhi Street in 2013 and the one in Kariakoo are a pointer to the fact that the buildings were not properly designed or supervised. A well-designed structure should fail gradually, allowing time for evacuation—a stark contrast to the sudden failures observed in these two cases.

The recurring collapses of multi-storey buildings in Tanzania demand urgent action. Regulatory bodies must strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with construction standards. Professionals must uphold their ethical responsibilities, while clients need education on the value of engaging qualified experts throughout the construction process.

Moreover, the government must crack down on the use of unverified soil test reports, inadequate supervision and the exploitation of young professionals. Without these reforms, the country risks more tragedies and a tarnished reputation in the construction industry.

Let us not wait for more lives to be lost before taking meaningful action. Tanzania’s construction industry must be restructured to prioritise safety, accountability and professionalism.

God bless Tanzania.

Lyamuya Stanley is an engineer who graduated from the University of Dar es Salaam in 1982