My wife contributed towards this house
By the time the Muwonges started building this three-bedroom house, they had saved some money so they completed it in one year and a half. Inset is the couple. Photos by Juliet Kigongo
What you need to know:
- Before we constructed our house, the land was virgin with very few permanent structures. However, in a few years, the value of land increased and so many people were inspired.
- We rented with my girlfriend (now my wife). We both contributed towards rent and we used to pay six months in advance because we were both working and had a side business.
My name is Charles Muwonge I am 51 years old and I have been married to Eva Muwonge for the last 25 years.
After my bachelor’s degree in business administration in August 1991, it took me one month to get a job with a paint company as a store keeper.
However, I was also a grasshopper dealer in Nyendo and I would bring them to Nakasero Market for selling. I later joined Dairy Cooperation where I worked for close to two years.
But I was renting and because I had established myself in the business of grasshoppers, it was not a big problem. However, I always admired beautiful houses in Nyendo.
A view of the dining area
We rented with my girlfriend (now my wife). We both contributed towards rent and we used to pay six months in advance because we were both working and had a side business.
From our finances, we built a small house in Kawempe but shortly after completing it, our neighbour, a business tycoon built a storeyed house making our house look like boys’ quarters.
The couple in their house
We then realised the need for another plan because we had also produced children so we needed a bigger place. We bought land in Gayaza, Sentema, Kakiri Sub-county, Wakiso District.
By this time, I had savings from my previous job as a store keeper with the paint company because when I resigned, I was given gratuity and when I worked with Dairy Cooperation from 2005 to 2006, it was sold off to Sameer and I was paid terminal benefits to the tune of Shs43m which was a lot of money by then.
Additionally, my wife was working in the bank for quite a long time and she was also paid gratuity and on top of that, when she left and joined government she withdrew her NSSF savings.
So we used that money and bought small plots of land around Nansana at prices ranging between Shs2 and Shs3m. We bought quiet a number and we were able to get a total of Shs200m after selling all of them.
A view of the house from the compound
Building
We used some of the money to buy this land at Shs8m. It is slightly above an acre. We then started buying building materials in bits starting with the roofing tiles and bricks.
My wife was responsible for the design of our house but she catered for both our needs, she wanted a spacious sitting room while I wanted a short wall fence.
Because I wanted to interact with my neighbours. Our house has three-bedrooms and we built it in one year and a half although it was in phases.
However, the hardest phase was finishing. I made all bed rooms self-contained with the idea that if things became bad, I could easily turn the house into a hotel. We can hold functions in our compound And whenever the Katikiro comes to our area, we host the function.
This is the gate to the couple's home
Lessons learnt
Don’t trust builders
You should not trust your builders completely. Sometimes they buy less material and it ends up getting finished before the work is done. This can happen at a time when you do not have money and at times they handle the material carelessly and end up either wasting it or letting it get spoilt.
Avoid strict budgets
If something is not a business venture and you think of counting all the money you use, then you will not finish it but what I know the money we used in total was more than Shs200m.
Start anytime
When you keep on budgeting you will never start. What is important for you is to start. We started with buying the roofing tiles. I always advise my colleagues that when you have land, you should start planning for your house. With the roofing we also opened up an account with the Uganda Clays and whenever we could get money, we could deposit until we cleared all the money.
Have an account
What I also advise people is to open up accounts with hardwares selling materials, this can help you greatly.
No location is far
Never despise the location of your land, it might seem far but in a few years, it will be a well-developed residence just like this area. Before we constructed our house, the land was virgin with very few permanent structures. However, in a few years, the value of land increased and so many people were inspired.
Work as a team
We have been able to build this house because we have worked as a team, the income is for the family and not for an individual. My wife and I contributed.
