Investing in the housing sector in uganda

The government of Uganda recognizes that the state should provide means of access of good shelter to every Ugandan. The National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in the 1995 constitution of Ugandan provides that the State shall endeavor to fulfill the fundamental rights of all Ugandans to social justice and economic development and shall, in particular, ensure among others that all Ugandans enjoy rights and opportunities and access to education, health services, clean and safe water, work, decent shelter, adequate clothing, food security and pension and retirement benefits.

According to the current statistics of Uganda, population stands at 37.58 million people living on 241,551 square kilometers. All the 37.58 million people have to strive to be accommodated onto the 241,551 square kilometers for a livelihood. This makes particular problems eminently inevitable, problems like poverty, poor housing systems, creation of slums and so much more.

One must also appreciate the development gap between urban centres and rural areas. Urban centres are more developed compared to rural areas and this attracts rapid rural-urban migration. People flock urban areas to enjoy better social life amenities making the urban areas densely populated compared to rural areas. It is no surprise therefore, that, much as rural areas do not have the standard, ordinary and good housing systems, this can also be reflected in urban areas, especially in slum areas.

Poor housing in Uganda is largely credited to poverty, big population, rural-urban migration and the resultant slums that are formed. The question before us now is; how do we solve this? What can be done to improve the housing problem in Uganda?

It is clear that the government alone cannot adequately solve this problem of inadequate housing in both the rural and urban areas. The current level of construction at approximately 60,000 housing units per annum is too low to satisfy the current estimated need of 200,000 housing units required per year.

We invite investors both local and international to invest heavily in the housing sector in Uganda as the returns are high and attractive. There is a great demand for organized communal places and affordable and low cost housing in Uganda.

Pictures: Our Managing Partner with firm client’s, Comfort Homes Limited welcoming the Vice President of Uganda to the grand opening of Casa Marcella in Naalya.