Developing a maintenance management system for public building in district local governments of Uganda: a case of Amuria district local government

Abstract

The practice of building maintenance is globally accepted as the most sustainable way to conserve buildings from deterioration. In most developing countries, costs incurred for assessment, repair and maintenance of buildings are principally met by the local governments other than insurance companies and yet the former have insufficient funds to cater for the challenges of maintenance of buildings. This study sought to develop a maintenance management system for public buildings in District Local Governments of Uganda. Published literature on building maintenance management systems, condition survey index, defects severity and their priorities on the need to rectify was reviewed. The methodology used in this study had mechanisms of collecting both primary and secondary data sources that included key informant interviews, observations, inspections and desk studies. The maintenance management system was used determine the components to be maintained by ranking. This was premised on the severity of defects using a Multi-Criteria Decision Model (MCDM) that was based on the principals of Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (F AHP). During the study, condition assessment of buildings was conducted using an assessment tool and the staff that were involved in the management of buildings were interviewed. The findings showed that visual observation was the common mechanism used for condition assessment of building components due to the limited allocation maintenance activities in the development budgets. The common defects that affected components of the buildings were mostly cracks, surface deterioration, moisture ingress and debonding which was attributed to the social behavior of users and environmental factors. Most components were in good condition that required regular routine maintenance and a few were dilapidated and required immediate attention. This study recommended that District Local Governments need to establish the Maintenance Management System and regularly conduct condition assessments to inform the planning and budgeting of the built asset portfolio.