Discrepancy between survey practice and legislation in Uganda
Musinguzi, M. and M. Kisakye
This paper discusses the inadequacy of legislation in providing an enabling legal framework for the fast changing technology in surveying and geomatics in Uganda. Change in survey techniques from analogue to digital have affected the manner in which survey data is collected, recorded, checked and disseminated. In addition, the shift in land ownership from the state to private individuals has affected the procedures for undertaking surveys. Notwithstanding these changes, the legislation governing survey work has not changed for a long time and this has impacted on the survey practice in Uganda. This study investigated the various ways in which practicing surveyors in Uganda responded to the changing technologies against a static legal framework. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 100 practicing surveyors and key informant interviews were conducted to selected experts in the field. The results indicate that surveyors in the private practice have ignored most of the legal provisions and have gone ahead to use modern survey techniques and instruments. In some cases, surveyors have had to convert data generated by modern equipment to rudimentary formats in order to comply with outdated survey regulations. Likewise, government surveyors, responsible for checking survey work have, to a large extent used their discretion to approve survey work without rigidly following the unrealistic legal provisions. There appears to be an informal consensus between practicing and government surveyors on how modern equipment should be used to submit work. There is an urgent need to legalize this informal arrangement by enacting new and relevant survey legislation.
Event: Advances in Geomatics Research : Proceedings of the First Conference 2011 in Uganda
Only personal, non-commercial use of this document is allowed.