By Patrick Jaramogi
PAN African Housing, a new estates company, is to set up a $10m (about sh17.5b) housing estate in Kirinya, a Kampala suburb.
The firm will target low-income earners.
Vinay Dawda, the company director, said: “It is our dream that all Ugandans acquire their own houses at affordable rates,” he said.
Dawda said they would build 2,000, two-and-three bedroomed units on a 300 acre piece of land.
“We shall start construction work next month.
“More units will be constructed depending on the market demand,” Dawda, also the managing director Britania Allied Industries, said.
He said arrangements would be put in place for low income earners to pay for the units in instalments.
“The arrangements to pay shall be through bank mortgages or salary loans.
“The houses cost between sh50m (US$28k) and sh75m (US$43k) depending on the size,” he said.
Dawda said the houses would be ready in two years.
Analysts estimate that less than half of the over one million city inhabitants lack decent housing. Most people, they say, live in squalid and congested city slums.
A report released by the Government recently, showed that the country has a housing deficit of about 600,000 houses.
Industry players say the deficit means that the basic need of shelter is not being met for the majority of Ugandans.
The state minister for housing, Micheal Werikhe, was also quoted in the media recently saying that in Kampala alone, 100, 000 housing units are required by the population.
Werikhe said this meant that only 13% of the housing needs in Kampala are being met by the current real estate companies and the National Housing and Construction Corporation.
He said the Government would encourage and work with private investors in the housing sector to generate proper housing for the majority of Ugandans.
He said two bills to encourage and ensure proper housing for the majority of Ugandans would be presented to Parliament soon. There are about 10 active real estate developers in the country.
Chris Thomas of Speedwall (www.speedwall.com) is quoted as stating that this project showed the committement that some developing countries are making to low cost housing. "The provision of low cost housing has a significant multiplier effect on the socio-economic environment benefiting society of a wide range of levels," he commented. However he warned that governments should also be aware of new building technologies such as Speedwall's which are able to deliver housing in a more cost effective, time efficient and environmentally beneficial manner.
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