diff --git a/srsue/hdr/stack/upper/rrctl.h b/srsue/hdr/stack/upper/rrctl.h
index ca791d7fd..48cde2dfb 100644
--- a/srsue/hdr/stack/upper/rrctl.h
+++ b/srsue/hdr/stack/upper/rrctl.h
@@ -228,10 +228,10 @@ public:
   explicit error(const std::string& msg) : std::runtime_error(msg) {};
 };
 
-void enc_hdr(srslte::byte_buffer_t& buf,
-             proto::msg_type type,
-             proto::msg_disc disc,
-             uint16_t len = 0);
+struct proto::msg_hdr* enc_hdr(srslte::byte_buffer_t& buf,
+			       proto::msg_type type,
+			       proto::msg_disc disc,
+			       uint16_t len = 0);
 const uint8_t* dec_hdr(const srslte::byte_buffer_t& buf,
                        proto::msg_type& type,
                        proto::msg_disc& disc,
diff --git a/srsue/src/stack/upper/rrctl.cc b/srsue/src/stack/upper/rrctl.cc
index 84570a5e1..280bf44cc 100644
--- a/srsue/src/stack/upper/rrctl.cc
+++ b/srsue/src/stack/upper/rrctl.cc
@@ -102,10 +102,10 @@ std::string msg_hdr_desc(proto::msg_type type, proto::msg_disc disc, uint16_t le
 
 namespace codec {
 
-void enc_hdr(srslte::byte_buffer_t& buf,
-             proto::msg_type type,
-             proto::msg_disc disc,
-             uint16_t len)
+struct proto::msg_hdr* enc_hdr(srslte::byte_buffer_t& buf,
+                               proto::msg_type type,
+                               proto::msg_disc disc,
+                               uint16_t len)
 {
   struct proto::msg_hdr hdr = {
 #if defined(__LITTLE_ENDIAN_BITFIELD)
@@ -121,6 +121,8 @@ void enc_hdr(srslte::byte_buffer_t& buf,
   };
 
   buf.append_bytes((const uint8_t*) &hdr, sizeof(hdr));
+
+  return reinterpret_cast<struct proto::msg_hdr*> (&buf.msg[0]);
 }
 
 const uint8_t* dec_hdr(const srslte::byte_buffer_t& buf,