Money taken
Clients report paying for materials and labour, after which the company stopped answering.
Independent contractor warning
Do not use
Queue Contractors
Limited.
Families in Mbale who paid Queue Contractors Limited to build their homes say they were left with unfinished buildings, money gone and nowhere to live. Read their experience before you hand over a deposit.
What clients report Mbale City, UgandaConstruction & contractor checks
Know the brand
If you see this mark, this is the company.
The blue Q, the tools inside it and the name set underneath belong to Queue Contractors Limited of Mbale, the contractor described throughout this page.
It is the same company whether the logo appears on a site board, a quote, a receipt or a WhatsApp profile. Before any money leaves your hands, check three things:
- Their URSB registration, in your own name search
- A written contract with staged payments, not one lump sum
- A signed receipt for every shilling paid
01 What clients report
Paid in full. Left with nothing.
Clients describe the same pattern: money taken, work stopped, the company unreachable, and families still waiting for homes they have already paid for.
Gone for months
Clients describe months with no one on site, and a new excuse each time they chase progress.
Builds abandoned
Homes are reported left half-built and unfit to live in, long after payment was made.
Families homeless
Some families say they gave up rented homes for builds that were never finished, and now have nowhere to live.
02 The engineer in charge
Engineer Dan Mukwana
Public reporting identifies Dan Mukwana as the engineer at Queue Contractors Limited in Mbale. Clients who dealt with him directly describe the same conduct again and again.
Identified by Uganda Radio Network ↗ His Facebook profile, for right of reply ↗- Breach of contractClients say agreed work, timelines and terms were not honoured.
- Money taken up frontClients report paying in advance, after which the work did not follow.
- DisappearingOnce paid, clients say he became unreachable for long periods.
- DishonestyClients describe false assurances and repeated explanations that turned out to be untrue.
- Unprofessional conductClients describe angry, disrespectful responses when they asked about progress.
- Money lostMultiple clients say they lost the money they paid and never received the finished work.
Building in Mbale: the context
- 12.6%
- General compliance of building operations with the Building Control Act, Regulations and Code, measured nationally in FY 2023/24.NBRB annual report ↗
- ~110 sq mi
- Mbale City’s current extent, against a physical development plan covering about 55 square miles.Daily Monitor, May 2026 ↗
- Before concrete
- Under the Building Control Act, inspectors are expected to verify foundations and steel reinforcement before concrete is poured.Daily Monitor, May 2026 ↗
03 Warning signs
Red flags on any build
Common patterns to watch for when hiring a builder or engineer in Mbale. None of these alone proves wrongdoing, but together they call for caution.
- Large cash deposit up frontPayment demanded before materials arrive or work starts, especially without a receipt.
- No written contractScope, price and timeline agreed only verbally or over chat messages.
- Titles that can’t be checkedAn “Eng.” prefix or company name that doesn’t appear on the ERB or URSB registers.
- No building permitAdvice to start before plans are approved by the Mbale City building committee.
- Long silencesWeeks without site activity or replies, followed by new requests for money.
- Shifting explanationsEach missed date comes with a new reason, but no revised written schedule.
04 Public sources
Who they are
Queue Contractors Limited
Public records name the firm and its engineer in Mbale. If you are approached by this company, check these sources and speak to past clients first.
Uganda Radio Network · 2 May 2026Identifies engineer Dan Mukwana as a construction expert at the company in Mbale. The article concerns an unrelated building collapse.ugandaradionetwork.net
Daily Monitor · 6 May 2026Quotes Dan Mukwana as a private practitioner in Mbale commenting on the same collapse. It does not name the company in connection with it.monitor.co.ug
Sironko District procurement noticeLists the company in a bidding document. A listing alone does not establish that the company won a contract.sironko.go.ug · PDF
05 Hiring checklist
Before you build in Mbale
Use these four checks before signing or paying a deposit, whether you’re hiring a builder or an engineer in Uganda.
06 Verify & report
Check before you pay
Official Ugandan bodies where you can confirm a company, an engineer or a building permit, and raise concerns about building work.
Uganda Registration Services BureauConfirm the contractor’s exact registered company name and status on the URSB eRegistry. Some searches are paid.eregistry.ursb.go.ug ↗
Engineers Registration BoardCheck that anyone using the “Eng.” title appears on the register of engineers kept under the Engineers Registration Act.erb.go.ug ↗
National Building Review BoardOversees building committees, permits and inspections under the Building Control Act, 2013, and receives complaints from the public.nbrb.go.ug ↗
07 If it happens to you
Let down by a builder?
- Stop further paymentsDon’t pay more until the work already paid for is done and checked.
- Gather your recordsKeep the contract, receipts, messages and dated site photos together.
- Put it in writingSend a dated written request setting out what is owed and a deadline.
- Get adviceSpeak to a lawyer, and report unsafe or unapproved work to the city building committee.