UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | At the 7th NBS Housing Baraza, the conversation around homeownership took on a strikingly honest tone. In a room filled with policymakers, bankers, developers and housing advocates, Housing Finance Bank executives laid bare the structural weaknesses that continue to keep mortgages out of reach for most Ugandans. Their message was clear: the country is rich in ambition, but the systems needed to support that ambition remain far behind.
John B. Kaweesi, the Head of Mortgages and Consumer Banking at Housing Finance Bank, opened the discussion with a pointed reflection on the state of Uganda’s property market.
“The uptake of mortgages is still low in Uganda, with issues around titled land being one of the challenges,” he said, noting that unclear or missing land documentation remains one of the most persistent barriers to mortgage approval.
He added that the challenge is compounded by the nature of incomes for many Ugandans.
“Another is structured income, as well as financial inclusion,” he explained, referring to the large share of workers who earn informally and cannot easily demonstrate predictable earnings to lenders.
The comments struck a chord because they mirror the lived reality of millions of Ugandans who aspire to own a home but find themselves locked out not by lack of effort, but by systems not built with them in mind. Many participants at the Baraza nodded as Kaweesi spoke, recognising how land fragmentation, informal earnings and limited access to financial services all converge to freeze out potential homeowners.
Kaweesi emphasised that the bank has been working to change this, not just by issuing loans, but by supporting customers to build long-term economic resilience.
“We work with you to move you from where you are to a business that is going to last over the generations to come,” he said.
His words echoed the bank’s broader vision: homeownership is not merely a financial product; it is an anchor of intergenerational stability.
Michael Mugabi, the Managing Director of Housing Finance Bank, expanded the discussion by linking housing to personal and national development. In measured but powerful words, he reminded the audience that shelter is not simply a roof, but the foundation of economic identity.
“Housing is the difference between living month to month and living decade to decade,” Mugabi said. “Turning tenants into owners and owners into investors and investors into contributors to community stability.”
His remarks resonated deeply in a country where most households rent and where the journey to homeownership often feels like chasing a horizon. Yet, at the Baraza, there was a growing sense that Uganda is inching closer to solutions.
Participants acknowledged that building a functional mortgage system requires more than a single actor. The collaboration of financiers, land administrators, physical planners, utility providers and regulators is essential, particularly under the Baraza’s theme: A Home for Every Ugandan.
What emerged from the discussion was not pessimism but cautious optimism. Housing Finance Bank’s frank assessment highlighted that the building blocks for broader homeownership exist — but the systems that connect those blocks remain misaligned. Still, the tone of the gathering suggested that momentum is finally forming. The national conversation is shifting away from asking whether homeownership is possible and toward a more urgent question: whether Uganda can clear the bottlenecks fast enough to meet the swelling demand.
For a country where access to secure, affordable housing remains a defining challenge, the message from Housing Finance Bank was straightforward — the dream of homeownership can be realised, but only if the systems that support it grow stronger, smarter and more inclusive.
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