The Uganda Architects Registration Board (ARB) has raised fresh concern over a growing number of foreign architects practising in the country without professional registration, exposing a regulatory gap the Board now wants to close through new rules.
Mirriam Lawino, Chairperson of the ARB, said some foreign professionals entering Uganda are registering businesses or consultancy entities with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and subsequently offering architectural services without obtaining the professional registration and practising authorisation required from the Board.
“We know very well that there are many foreign architects working in Uganda without any form of registration,” Lawino told the Uganda Society of Architects (USA) and ARB symposium at Kabira Country Club in Kampala on Friday.
The concern comes as Uganda marks 60 years of the Uganda Society of Architects and 30 years of the Architects Registration Board, placing the regulation of architectural practice under renewed scrutiny as the country expands its cities, housing stock and infrastructure.
The Uganda Society of Architects traces its formation to 1966, when the Uganda chapter of the East African Institute of Architects was reorganised into a national professional body.
Lawino said the Board had reached an understanding with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that foreign architects intending to practise in Uganda should apply to the ARB for temporary registration.
But she said some were instead registering as consultants through URSB and proceeding to establish offices and undertake architectural work. “Unfortunately, some of them simply register with URSB. URSB is not particularly focused on this issue, so they register them as consultants, and eventually these individuals begin working, open offices and practise architecture.”
Uganda’s legal framework, however, does not prohibit foreign architects from undertaking work in the country. The Architects Registration Act, Chapter 297, provides specifically for temporary registration.
Under Section 11, a person who is not ordinarily resident in Uganda but is professionally qualified and comes to the country for specific architectural work may be temporarily registered by the Board for the duration of that work, subject to the statutory conditions.
The provision also requires such a person to work with a registered architect. The same law provides that a person may not engage in or carry on the practice of architecture unless they hold a valid practising certificate issued under the Act.
Lawino said the Board is developing a practice note specifically addressing the regulation and practice of foreign architects. The proposed approach could provide greater clarity over how foreign professionals are vetted, the projects for which they are authorised, the Ugandan professionals with whom they must work and the period for which their temporary registration remains valid.
She urged the public to report individuals who falsely present themselves as architects, particularly people advertising architectural services on social media without being known to the regulator. “If you feel there are people masquerading as architects, come to the Board and report them.”
A person who is not registered but presents themselves as an architect or otherwise holds themselves out as professionally qualified may face a fine or imprisonment under Section 33.
When a building project fails or professional disputes arise, members of the public often turn to the regulator for assistance, she said, even when the person responsible for the work was never registered with the Board.
Lawino said the ARB is preparing to review the Architects Registration Act of 1996, arguing that the profession has changed significantly in the three decades since the legislation came into force. The current law establishes ARB, giving it responsibility for regulating architectural standards, registering architects, making by-laws, regulating professional conduct and promoting architectural education.
Lawino said the 14th Board has begun the process of reviewing the legislation, with initial consultations already held in May. The Board’s argument is that the framework has not undergone the substantive modernisation required to respond to contemporary professional practice.
Among the emerging issues are regulation of architectural technicians, landscape architecture, interior design and other allied areas of the built environment. The Board is also considering a tiered professional structure covering categories such as technicians, senior technicians, graduate members and registered architects.
Lawino said the Board currently has 419 architects, including 38 registered during 2026, compared with 22 the previous year and 20 the year before. Perhaps the most consequential reform will be the proposed digitisation of professional verification.
Lawino said the Board intends to introduce QR codes on architectural drawings submitted to local authorities, allowing officials to scan a drawing and identify the architect responsible for it.
The proposal is intended to address a recurring problem in disciplinary cases, where architects sometimes argue that their professional stamps have been forged. “When you have a QR code on every project, there will be a digital trail of responsibility,” Lawino said.
The proposal could connect professional regulation more closely with building-control enforcement. Under the Building Control Act, 2013, an application for a building permit must contain the architect’s name, registration number, practising certificate, signature and official stamp.
Building Committees are also responsible for scrutinising and approving building plans, issuing building and occupation permits, and ensuring compliance with the law. The Building Control Regulations further require architectural drawings and related documents to be signed by the architect engaged by the developer, while architects and engineers are required to certify satisfactory completion before occupation permits are issued.
A functioning digital verification system could therefore create a direct link between the professional register, architectural drawings and local-government building-control systems. The Board is also seeking a stronger professional presence outside Kampala.
Lawino said architects should take up opportunities to serve on building committees and building-control structures in local governments to improving the quality of Uganda’s built environment.
The Building Control Act already provides for architectural representation within Building Committees. At district level, the statutory structure includes an officer responsible for architecture, alongside officials responsible for physical planning, engineering, land management, environment and health.
The call comes as Uganda’s urban population continues to expand. World Bank data based on UN population estimates put urban population in Uganda at about 32 per cent in 2025, underscoring the scale of the planning, housing and infrastructure challenge facing the country.
The pressure is also economic. National Planning Authority data citing UBOS put construction at about 5.3 per cent of GDP in 2022/23, while real-estate activities accounted for about 6.1 per cent.
Representing Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Judith Nabakooba urged the profession to ensure that regulatory reforms protect the public without stifling innovation or professional growth.
“Our objective should be to put in place regulatory frameworks that protect the public, uphold high professional standards and strengthen confidence in the built environment,” She said.
Nabakooba challenged the profession to expand beyond Kampala, saying Uganda needs architects serving municipalities and emerging urban centres across the country. “Professional excellence should not be concentrated only in Kampala; it should go beyond Kampala to cover the entire country.”
She also urged architects to help government promote affordable housing, climate resilience, resource efficiency and technological change.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor of Makerere University and keynote speaker, challenged architects to pay greater attention to Uganda’s own architectural history and indigenous building knowledge.
He argued that the country’s architectural education and professional discourse have historically placed disproportionate emphasis on European architectural traditions. “We must write our own history.”
Nawangwe said indigenous building traditions represented accumulated knowledge about materials, climate, construction and settlement patterns and should be treated as part of Uganda’s intellectual heritage rather than merely as remnants of a pre-modern past.
He also linked architectural history to contemporary urban development, warning that Kampala and other urban settlements are expanding into land previously used for agriculture. The challenge, he said, is not simply to construct more buildings but to ensure that Uganda’s growth produces functional, organised and sustainable settlements.
The Architects Registration Board regulates professional practice. The Uganda Society of Architects represents and advances the profession. The National Building Review Board oversees the building-control system, while local governments implement planning and development controls.
The challenge is whether those systems operate with sufficient coordination to ensure that every person designing buildings in Uganda, whether Ugandan or foreign, established or emerging, is properly qualified, traceable and accountable-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
