Namataba: Potential hotspot for commercial housing

Some of the Commercial buildings in Namataba, Mukono District. Photo by Christine Katende

What you need to know:

  • Given the developments, all people and business developers are tasked to present approved plans for the construction projects in Namataba in a bid to have a well-organised town council.
  • Whether student housing, residential, or general merchandise business, Namataba in Mukono is a good place for anyone looking to invest in an area close to the city.

At first mention, Namataba may sound like one of those places in distant villages with little or no development.
Namabata in Mukono has changed its face, there are new developments given the growing population. This place, should however, not be confused with the Namataba in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District.

About 11.8km from Mukono Town, and 48km from Kampala City, Namataba is located on Kampala-Jinja Highway, Mukono District. It is about one-and-a half hours drive from the city.
Namataba is yet another budding place for anyone who would wish to have a property business not far from Kampala.

Although the place was regarded a simple village with dusty roads, Namataba now has tarmacked roads.
The area recently became a town council, thus attracting more people.
However, there is still vast land for investment.

The common businesses thriving in the area are retail shops and mobile money centres and a few clinics.
Martha Ndegemu, who has operated a hardware business in Namataba for 11 years, says her business has grown over the years and she attributes the increase in income to the growing population.

Omulangira Emmanuel Suuna, the LC 1 chairperson Namataba central, confirms the area has developed, compared to 15 years ago. “Namataba is now a hot cake especially for business people. There are many people flooding the area given the new developments such as the Malaysian University and St Francis Nursing School,” shares Suuna.

If you would like to invest in the property business, hostels or self-contained houses work well here because of the presence of factory workers, students and the staff from St Francis Nursing School, Namataba.

“The nursing school has so many students, which it can no longer house. The students have on several occasions been moving around looking for houses to rent, it is only people with rentals who have gained,” he notes.

Ssuna, however, adds that there is also need to put up more hostels that will accommodate more than five thousand students from the East African region at the nearby Malaysian University.
Notable in this place besides the suitable projects is the green vegetation cover, which makes it serene, and the fertile soils suitable for agriculture.

Rent
A self-contained room goes for up to Shs300,000. Many university students in this area opt for self-contained rooms, which means good business for developers.
The area is good for residential housing. Namataba shares both flat, slope and hilly land, which gives a very nice view of the surrounding areas. Investing in quality schools is the other venture one can think of because there are few schools in this area.

Security
Namataba has a police post thus ensuring maximum security. Emma Kavulu, a wholesale shop operator, says the place was not very secure but it stabilised after they established a police post with a 24/hr patrol around the area. Suuna says the security in the area has been tighten up to 85 per cent.

Cost of land
Elamiah Budeeyi, a landlord in the area, says 15 years ago, almost all people were bibanja (untitled land) holders and land in Namataba was very cheap.
Currently, the land is on various tenure systems with some bibanja holders and private mailo. Budeeyisays then, a 50x100ft plot of land that cost Shs5m 15 years ago, is now sold between Shs12m and Shs15m.
A 100x100ft, which cost Shs10m 15 years ago, currently ranges from Shs20m, Shs25m, Shs30m to Shs60m.
Suuna adds that the land in the centre costs more than land off the main road.

Housing
Given the developments, all people and business developers are tasked to present approved plans for the construction projects in Namataba in a bid to have a well-organised town council.
The area now has piped water and hydro power.