Museveni Revives Earthquake Preparedness Directive, Warns Uganda Must Avoid Turkey-Style Disaster

President Museveni has renewed his earthquake preparedness directive, ordering stricter building standards and nationwide structural audits to strengthen Uganda’s resilience against future earthquakes.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has renewed his call for stronger earthquake preparedness in Uganda, posting Executive Order No. 1 of 2023 on his official X account and urging government institutions to fully implement measures aimed at protecting the country from future seismic disasters.

In the Executive Order, originally issued on April 9, 2023, Museveni expressed concern over what he described as the laxity of some government agencies in implementing the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government’s policy guidelines on earthquake preparedness.

The President noted that Uganda is vulnerable to earthquakes due to three major fault lines running through the country, including those along River Aswa, River Katonga, and the Rift Valley. He recalled learning about the country’s seismic risks during a 1997 conference in Kampala and said he immediately directed relevant ministries to incorporate earthquake-resistant standards into building plans.

Museveni also referenced the 1994 Kisomoro earthquake in the Rwenzori region, which measured 6.2 on the Richter scale, and the 1966 earthquake that damaged the Tooro Kingdom’s Karuzika Palace. He highlighted the Virika Cathedral in Fort Portal as an example of earthquake-resistant construction, saying it survived later tremors because it had been deliberately designed to withstand powerful earthquakes.

Among the key directives in the Executive Order, Museveni instructed government engineers to audit all permanent buildings within two years, prioritize inspections of high-rise structures, establish national earthquake-resistant building standards within one year, and ensure that all future permanent buildings comply with the new standards.

He also called for experts to assess whether existing buildings that fail to meet the standards can be reinforced rather than demolished.

Drawing lessons from countries such as Japan, Museveni said Uganda must strengthen its infrastructure to prevent a catastrophe similar to the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria, where tens of thousands of people lost their lives.

The President concluded by urging geologists, engineers and relevant government agencies to ensure Uganda is adequately prepared for future earthquakes, stressing that such large-scale destruction should never be allowed to occur in the country.