Browsing by Author "Muhwezi, Lawrence"

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An assessment of the impact of construction activities on the environment in Uganda: a case Study of Iganga Municipality
(Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management., 2012-11-15) Muhwezi, Lawrence; Kiberu, Faisal; Kyakula, Michael; Batambuze, Alex O.
Construction while being an economic activity that provides facilities and infrastructure, it is beneficial to man in some aspects and detrimental in others. There have been environmental concerns related to construction activities globally which mainly focus on atmospheric emissions, depletion of natural resources and energy issues. This study was carried out to assess the impacts of construction activities on the environment in Iganga Municipality and to propose measures for their mitigation. The methodology included: review of relevant literature, observations of the general environmental effects of construction activities, focus groups and a survey conducted among construction industry role players to determine their perceptions and opinions regarding environmental impact of construction activities. The collected data was presented in tabular form and analysed by description of responses to questions. The study revealed that forests were the most greatly degraded due to high demand of timber for construction followed by wetlands degradation. The findings of this study will be useful to architects, designers and builders in order to carefully design buildings and other infrastructure that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Construction materials and their mode of acquisition are harmful threats to the environment. There is need to reduce the consumption of these materials through recycling and reusing wastes to reduce on waste generation, use of virgin materials and the subsequent waste of energy used in new material production.
Evaluation of Factors Influencing Performance of Building Construction Projects in Uganda: A Case Study of Masaka City
(East African Journal of Engineering, 2024-11-10) Hakizimana, Venust; Muhwezi, Lawrence; Acai, Joseph
The construction industry has gained rapid growth for the past decade due to population growth resulting in housing and infrastructure demand. In Uganda, over twelve percent (12%) of the gross domestic product (GDP) is contributed by the building construction sector and is of great significance in the current economy. Despite this contribution to the sector, building construction fails due to performance issues as previously conducted studies have indicated and there are various reasons and factors which contribute to these performance issues. Therefore, there is a need to have a deeper understanding of the major factors attributing to this trend for better performance improvement. This study aimed to establish strategies to improve the performance of building construction projects in Uganda cities, a case study of Masaka city. The study employed a survey research design and targeted a population of 420 participants from which a sample of 201 respondents was selected. Data were collected using a questionnaireand interview guide. SPSS version 21 and Excel were used in data analysis. The following factors were established; cost factors, health and safety factors, time factors, quality factors productivity factors, project stakeholders’ factors, environmental factors and resource factors. The regression analysis conducted confirmed time factors, quality factors and cost factors to have evidence of a significant impact on the performance of building construction projects in Masaka city. A framework for improving the performance of building construction projects was developed based on factors with significant impact. These findings highlight the need to prioritize these factors with significant impact when evaluating and managing building construction projects in Masaka City.
Investigating equipment productivity in feeder road maintenance in Uganda
(Elsevier, 2023-01) Obeti, Andrew Moses; Muhwezi, Lawrence; Kakitahi, John Muhumuza
Rural roads form the largest part of Uganda’s road network (approximately 50.2%) and is therefore a critical part of economic growth in an agriculturally dependent country like Uganda. With Uganda’s rural population standing at approximately 76% of the total population and agriculture still employing approximately 72% of Uganda’s population, this underscores the need to fix loopholes in road maintenance strategies in Uganda with emphasis on rural roads. This study sought to conduct a detailed cost analysis with a view to determining whether productivity is at an optimum for specific road maintenance equipment in Uganda, with emphasis on mechanized agricultural plantation access road maintenance works. Two descriptive research methods were used: observations and case study approach. Control parameters affecting machine production were identified as machine repair costs, maintenance costs, machine depreciation costs, worker’s salaries, machine insurance costs, and machine fuel costs. Machine downtime was mainly affected by delays in procuring spares. The total hourly machine production costs were calculated to be 699,602 Ugx (185.84USD). This cost calculation can be improved upon in subsequent studies. The study recommends the need for an effective centralised electronic database where all feeder road maintenance data is collected, analysed, and recorded.
Investigating the cost of mechanized unpaved road maintenance operations in Uganda
(Elsevier, 2024-05) Obeti, Andrew Moses; Muhwezi, Lawrence; Kakitahi, John Muhumuza
Force Account Mechanism (FAM) is the predominant road maintenance system in Uganda’s local government setup and a similar, though slightly different approach, is used in some large private sector agriculture plantations. With the Uganda Road Fund (URF) 2021/2022 annual report and previous research citing challenges in cost management and efficiency of the FAM method of road maintenance, it becomes paramount to analyse how FAM is implemented in government-led operations, in comparison to similar private sector approaches, while proposing possible solutions to these challenges. This research offered to analyse unpaved road maintenance cost drivers alongside providing a cost model solution to improve on cost prediction of the FAM system. Gulu District Local Government (DLG) and Kakira Sugar Limited (KSL) were selected as case study areas. Two descriptive research methods were used: observations and case study approach. The selected case study areas were accessible and reachable in terms of data. Control parameters affecting unpaved mechanized road maintenance were identified as machine repair costs, tool costs, labour costs, material costs, fuel costs and machine fuel costs. Unpaved mechanized road maintenance costs at KSL and Gulu DLG were computed as a cost/km ratio of 26,442,032Ugx/km (6,958.4USD/km) and 32,674,895Ugx/km (8,598.65USD/km) respectively. The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) unpaved road maintenance costs were calculated as an average of 34,987,122.9Ugx/km (9,165USD/km) while the World Bank ROCKS database provided a comparable figure of 7,971USD/km (30,553,440.83Ugx/km). A USD to Ugx conversion rate of 3,800 was used. Two linear regression cost models with a 0.679 and 0.687 R2 value were computed, and these can be used in preliminary road maintenance cost prediction. The study recommends the need for an effective, digital road maintenance cost database system for mechanized unpaved road maintenance works, cost driver analytics and management, alongside improvement in aspects of maintenance processes at both the DLG and KSL. Further research can be conducted on equipment condition level prediction and analytics in the private sector and at the DLG.
Mathematical Modeling of Traffic Flow in Kampala City Using the Moving Observer Method
(East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2024-08-25) Okiza, Humphrey; Muhwezi, Lawrence; Okello, Joseph Omwonylee; Awichi, Richard Opaka; Nuwagaba, Savannah
The purpose of the study was to investigate the variables affecting traffic flow in Kampala Central Business District (CBD), employing a quantitative approach. The rapid urbanization has led to a huge increase in the number of vehicles, resulting in traffic congestions, delays, and financial losses especially in the Kampala CBD area. Data on traffic density, speeds, and driver behaviors were collected for a period of 20 days from five selected road sections leading into and out of the city which included traffic on Entebbe Road, Jinja road, Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road, Yusuf Lule and Wandegeya roads using the moving observer method. Regression analysis was done to identify the relationships between the variables, leading to the development of a predictive model for traffic flow. The study found out that the flow tends to increase as the day progresses and as well flow rate increases with increase in density. As the week progressed, the flow rate decreased as number of people coming to town on weekends is low since there is no work. A mathematical model was generated which could be used to predict the traffic intensity on the road at a given day and time. The model shows that changing from weekdays to weekend, the flow decreases by about 29%, and as density increases by 1%, the flow also increases by 1.5% over time. The study recommends prioritizing public transportation improvement, establishment of out of city parking yards, utilizing the other various means of transport other than road and promoting non-motorized modes of transportation in order to reduce traffic density on the road and subsequently manage congestion.
Water availability trends across water management zonesin Uganda
(Atmospheric Science Letters, 2021-06-21) Onyutha, Charles; Asiimwe, Arnold; Muhwezi, Lawrence; Mubialiwo, Ambrose
This study assessed trends in gridded (0.25° × 0.25°) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET), and precipitation minus PET (PMP) across the four water management zones (WMZs) in Uganda including Kyoga, Victoria, Albert, and Upper Nile. The period considered was 1979–2013. Validation of CFSR datasets was conducted using precipitation observed at eight meteorological stations across the country. Observed precipitation trend direction was satisfactorily reproduced by CFSR data extracted at five out of eight stations. Negative (positive) values of long-term PMP mean were considered to indicate areas characterized by water scarcity (surplus). Areas with large positive PMP were confined to Lake Victoria and mountains such as Rwenzori and Elgon. The largest negative PMP values were in the arid and semi-arid areas of north and northeastern Uganda. The null hypothesis H0 (no trend) was rejected (p < 0.05) for increasing annual precipitation trends across the various WMZs except in the extreme eastern parts of the Upper Nile, Kyoga, and Victoria WMZs (or areas along the boundary of Uganda and Kenya). The H0 (no trend) was rejected (p < 0.05) for decreasing trends in annual PET over West Nile region of the Upper Nile, western parts of Victoria, and the Albert WMZs. For increasing trend in PMP, the H0 (no trend) was rejected (p < 0.05) across the various WMZs except around the Mount Elgon area. The study findings are relevant for planning of water resources management across the different WMZs in the country.