Go big on saving and owning land - Nambooze tips women

Nambooze starts her day with physical exercises that her surveying job demands. “Before I go to bed, I jot down the tasks for the next day,” she says.

She adds: “If I have a client that wants me to survey their land, I go to the field to do groundwork and compare notes with paperwork.  These two are different despite the fact that they use the same labour,” she says.

 “At the site, I meet clients and the neighbours to get in depth background information about that specific plot of land. I also pay attention to a client’s needs compared to what is on the ground,” she adds.

Before Nambooze heads to the field, she analyses the site based on land ownership system and the information available to avoid confusion.

The journey to land surveying

Born in Kawempe Division, she went to St Mt Mary’s Namagunga and Kibuli Secondary School for O-Level and A-Level respectively.

She joined Makerere University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Surveying and a master’s degree in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). She also holds a Diploma in Law.

 “I was not sure I had made the right choice when I found myself in a surveying lecture room. I am glad I did it. It has taken me places.  Unfortunately other people get frustrated with the career choices they make,” she says.

After obtaining her first degree, Nambooze started training with Associated Engineering Surveyors and then Auc- a mining company based in Mubende District.

She later joined Buganda Land Board, where she served for more than 10 years and grew through ranks to become a chief surveyor.

She also served on the governing council of institutions of surveyors in Uganda. She also sits on several boards including National Physical Planning Board, and Pulled Income Funds Club. She is the chairperson board of governors of Kingstone High School in Lugoba.

Nambooze says that through her career as a surveyor, she has empowered women to own land by saving monthly.

“Women were growing careerwise, but not financially. When I learnt that it was possible to pool resources together, buy and own land, we started the investment group and we are growing by leaps and bounds,” she says.

Apart from theory of the course units she teaches, she emphasises other aspects of life such as financial management, professional and personal growth.

“In our investment club, we save and own land as women. I am available to mentor women who want to join my profession,” says Nambooze.

In partnership with Kingstone High School, they started a Catch Them Young initiative, where they offer career guidance about   various professions.

“We realised that the young generation needs to be guided before choosing their professions. This helps them to plan for their future and how they can handle the field. We also listen to their views, challenges and task them to find solutions,” she says.

Challenges

In surveying, she says, people still think women cannot do such jobs because in the past, they were a preserve for men.

 “You have to prove to your client that you can do the job perfectly, even after showing them your previous works,” she says.

She says the profession requires utmost patience because clients can consult several experts before making a choice.

“You get pregnant and get children who need 24/7 attention and then you have to be on duty very soon after giving birth,” she says.

She also notes that some women do not believe in themselves and think they cannot achieve certain goals in life.

“Unlike men who support each other, some women want to pull other women down,” she says.

Looking back at her achievements, Nambooze is most proud of the Paragon Investment Club which was established in 2020. Women have started owning land and she has received a lot of   appreciation from the club members.

“Women have realised their dreams of owning land, right now we have more than 500 members, and 300 women have secured titles,” she says. 

Asked who her role model is, Nambooze points to Jennifer Byokusheka, the first female president of the Institution of Surveyors in Uganda

Gaps

She appeals to government to do more to support women, especially in fast-tracking justice in regard to land issues. She wants specific courts to attend to land matters given that some cases have taken years without being resolved.

 “Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development needs to review the process of issuing land titles because we have a lot of cases with fake land titles issued by zonal offices,” she says.

Nambooze wants more women to become ambitious and pursue leadership wherever they are.