The changing face of Kigo

Lake Victoria Serena Resort in Kigo is one of the new developments in and around the area that are attracting real estate developers to invest in the former fishing town. Photo by Edgar R. Batte

What you need to know:

Located on the outskirts of Lake Victoria, Kigo used to be a remote fishing neighbourhood. However, 20 years down the road, it is now turning into a hub for posh homes.

Twenty years ago, Ignatius Kamya recalls walking through bush thickets to go to a part of Lake Victoria located in Kigo, off the Entebbe highway. The fishing neighbourhood comprised simple houses, many of them semi-permanent, with mud-wattle and silver iron sheets.
“There were a few people who had started constructing beautiful houses closer to the road but generally, the place was remote. By then, an acre of land in Kigo went for about Shs3m or even less. One of the big facilities in the area at the time was Ranch on the Lake, which has since become Lake Victoria Serena Resort,” Kamya recalls.

The establishment of Serena that had attractive architectural plans, turned around the place, and brought on fusion of Romanic building styles that blended art and nature. Its position was something of attraction. It overlooked the lake.
The pristine location started getting some traffic. A short distance from Serena is Kigo Prison, one of Uganda’s oldest prisons, which is located on Mailo land also known as Kabaka’s land- the biggest land owner in the area.

The recent years have seen Kigo change face. Oskar Semweya-Musoke, a resident in the area, explains that the establishment of Serena has engineered an interest in the area. “Before Serena took over management of Ranch on the Lake, the interest in the area was not as much as it is today, he explains.
“Kigo is the fastest growing area, in my opinion, despite our poor road network. Just 10 years ago there was nothing. Now we have fancy homes, a big hospital, a fantastic hotel plus other businesses! There is also a large modern housing estate coming up plus a luxury golf course on the lake,” Musoke explains.

Real estate in the area
Mirembe Villas-Kigo is one of the new developments in the area. It is a belt of 70 acres where 220 housing units have been planned.
The villas were officially opened by Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi in July last year as part of commemorations for his 22nd anniversary as king of Buganda.
The estate is part of efforts to create a business-focused kingdom spearheaded by Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga, who has been relentless in looking for partners to develop the kingdom’s vast land.
According to Roland Sebuwufu, the chief executive officer of Buganda Investments and Commercial Undertakings Limited, the company managing the real estate, Kigo is fast-rising as an upscale and well-planned neighbourhood and Mirembe is a proper architecturally-planned enterprise.

He adds that they had a settlement with the prisons’ management to develop the land around the prison facility.
“It is part of kingdom land occupied by the central government and we are planning on setting up more villas on that land under the Kingdom-private partnership,” he adds.
The villas are a high-end commercial and residential development in partnership with Guoji Group Company (U) Limited. They overlook Lake Victoria and the golf course at Serena, which have become an attraction to the affluent.
The villas are targeted for high-end buyers and the price reflects so. Sebuwufu says they cost between US$200,000 and US$400,000 (about Shs675m and Shs1.3b). Part of the amenities is to have social amenities such as better roads, street lights, electricity, and more.

Hotel Kigo is another investment in the area, tapping into the view the lake has to offer. The developments in the area have had an effect on the price of land. East Lands Agency quoted three-quarters of an acre at Shs200m as of 2014.
In promoting the value of land, the agency’s managing director, Adnan Mpuga, explains that the piece of land is prime, measuring approximately three-quarters of an acre was fit for several developments such as apartments, country home or an estate.

Land in kigo

Adnan Mpuga explains that at the time they started operating in the area, 20 years ago, someone could acquire a piece of land located in a prime area, overlooking the lake, for between Shs30m and Shs50m.
Sebuwufu estimates that an acre of land at the moment goes for between Shs250m and Shs300m, underlining the growth in value in the area. Mpuga quotes an even higher price.
He says today one acre of land on Mailo land costs between Shs500m and Shs600m.
“Land in the area and the neighbourhood has gained value. 10 years ago, we sold an acre of land in Lubowa at the point where Quality Shopping Centre is located, at cost Shs60m.”
“Today, land in the area costs between Shs1b and Shs1.2b,” the real estate dealer explains. Musoke adds that when the Kampala-Entebbe Express Highway is complete, the price of land will go up too.

“It is a lovely place to live and Ugandans are becoming more appreciative of these things. No wonder the Spur Road, off the Southern Bypass comes our way,” Musoke says, adding that with the road, this will attract a better road network and ultimately improve business at his hotel facility- Hotel Kigo. According to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the Expressway is part of the measures to decongest the Central Business District and enhance trade movement through, within and out of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

The urban congestion is increasing in Kampala at an estimated rate of 4.5 per cent annually with increased motorisation thus Kampala is facing heavy traffic jams, especially during the peak hours and the road can no longer accommodate current traffic. But while the developments are taking a bigger portion of the Kigo area.
There are still the shabby houses too, on and off the road, which for now, have to deal with development trade-offs such as dust from the road works.