UGANDA, Wakiso | Real Muloodi News | Bob Allan Mucunguzi came from a humble background, and had always dreamed to own a home in Kampala. His success story in building his first home is an inspiration to many prospective homeowners.
Mucunguzi’s determination and focus on achieving his first home goal helped him to overcome obstacles along the way. He began his journey dillegenty saving and searching for genuine land.
Saving
When Mucunguzi started working in the procurement department at the United Nations’ Uganda office, his first priority was to save and buy land in Kampala and build a home that his family could call their own.
“…I knew it was doable. So, I started thinking of smart and fast ways to do it. I started asking close friends that owned beautiful homes in the city how they had done it. One of them encouraged and advised me to start by buying genuine land,” Mucunguzi recollects.
Land
By 2016, he had saved UGX20m, which he entrusted to Amos Baguma, a mentor, for safekeeping, while he searched for the perfect land.
“My friends had bought mailo land but because I am not from here (Central Uganda), I was scared of buying land that is not titled. We looked for land around Nkumba. When we failed to get anything there we tried Abayita Ababiri which is just next to Nkumba but the land here was more expensive and beyond my budget,” he recounts.
Luckily, one of his acquaintances agreed to sell him a 50X100 tract in Ssisa Kaga, Wakiso District, which reduced his hunting time in half. There were no intermediaries involved because the two were friends, thus he paid USh18m only for the purchase of land. Mucunguzi considers the day he signed the pact to be one of the happiest of his life.
“Having a title which showed that I owned land in the city was a great achievement. Whenever I could, I would go check on the land, which never ceased to make feel so good,” he says.
Construction Process
In 2017, Mucunguzi met with his mentor Baguma to consult about starting the process of constructing his home.
“Baguma advised me to hire a civil engineer to supervise the construction journey and recommended Daniel Yiga, a civil engineer to handle the project,” he says.
Although Yiga initially requested UGX7m for his supervision fee, Mucunguzi asked him to cut the budget to the bare necessities due to his limited finances.
“Yiga was at first under the impression that I had a lot of money so he came up with this long list of materials I needed to begin with. But I told him the budget I was working with and asked him to trim it to the bare necessities,” says Mucunguzi.
He bought materials such as bricks, cement, and iron sheets, and with the help of his brother, he supervised the project while he was away.
Mucunguzi also discovered that site managers often falsely inflate costs if the owner is not carefully keeping a close eye on the construction.
“I discovered that site managers often inflate costs which makes the project look more expensive than it really is. Being involved and learning what was needed at each stage, I discovered that with Shs500,000 or less, I could progress with building. When I was not around, I delegated my brother to supervise the project on my behalf. Somehow, whenever I asked for soft loans to help me cover my construction expenses, my friends were willing to lend me money, perhaps because they knew it was going to good use,” says Mucunguzi.
Final Touches
When the house reached the roofing level, Yiga advised Mucunguzi to pause the construction and construct a perimeter fence and septic tank.
“The engineer noted that if I finished the house before building the fence and the septic tank, I would not feel pushed to construct them,” he says.
He also moved with a panga to clear bushes to get to the site since the neighbourhood was more rural than it is today.
The status of the neighbourhood was not a concern for Mucunguzi; his biggest motivation was to own a home no matter what.
His family had never owned a home in Kampala, and his desire to change his family’s destiny fueled his motivation, and within six months, he had completed the shell of the house.
“I was consumed by how I could I remove this curse of my parents not having a house in Kampala. Many times when people start living with their relatives they find themselves being turned into houseboys doing chores such as mopping the house as a way to earn their keep. I turned this anger into motivation and within six months, I had completed the shell of the house,” says Mucunguzi.
Moving In
Mucunguzi and his wife moved into the house before its completion with only the inside plastered, and with a functional toilet, shower, and tiled bedroom.
While it was not entirely complete, it gave him a sense of achievement, as he could finally prove to people that his family owned a home in Kampala.
“The house was plastered only inside. I made sure the toilet and shower were functional and that the bedroom had tiles. My engineer had advised me to not start with the living room when tiling the house as this would make become lax about tiling the rest of the rooms,” he recalls.
Mucunguzi claims that Yiga’s suggestion was effective because every time he stepped on sand, he reminded himself of the necessity to tile every room in the home and make it habitable, one step at a time.
After finishing the house, Mucunguzi began looking for a gate, but most of those he liked were out of his price range.
To address the issue, he decided to open a welding shop that not only created his gates and window panes but also began making metallic components for others in the building industry.
Mucunguzi now has two welding businesses, one in Seguku and one in his hometown of Kisoro.
Advice for Prospective Homeowners
Mucunguzi advises prospective homeowners to buy genuine land that is titled to avoid future issues.
He also recommends hiring professional builders to avoid unnecessary costs and using trusted friends or relatives to supervise the project when he or she is unavailable.
Finally, he cautions homeowners not to rush into finishing the house before constructing a perimeter fence and septic tank.
With this, you can avoid unnecessary costs and build a home you can be proud of.
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Part 1: How a Young 26 yr old Average Income Earner Built a USh64m 3-Bedroomed House