Nakityo built houses from a retail business

By Umar Nsubuga

FIFTY-YEAR-OLD Fatuma Nakityo earns her living from a retail shop. She says she was compelled to work hard because she needed to stop paying rent. In 1990, she opened a retail shop in Komamboga, a city suburb. 

Her story 

Before I started building, it was necessary to save the money I needed, however little it was. I started by making cassava chips, with a capital of sh2,000. Although things did not go as well as I expected, I saved some money, which I used to rent a shop, to sell a few groceries. 

I continued to make pancakes, cassava chips and chapatti. On a good day, I could make sales of up to sh5,000. When my shop expanded, I asked a friend to help me find a plot of land to buy. He introduced me to the owner of a piece of land near the main road in Kisaasi. 

In 1992, I bought the 48x100ft plot at sh600,000 in Kanisa zone, Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb, with a land title. The next dilemma was how to raise money to start construction. 

Source of the money

My shop has been the source of income. I have lived in Kampala, my business has been the retail shop, something I have spent more than 20 years doing. I have fortunately used all my profits in what I consider the right way. 

true

Nakityo is now a proud owner of rental shops, thanks to her perseverance

From this business, I built four rooms for my family, 12 compartments for rent, consisting of rooms for business and residential. We moved into the house on July 4, 1997. I got a lot of support from my mother. She gave me space to use for laying bricks. 

Inspiration

Most of the designs on the house were chosen based on what was trendy at the time. When I entered the house, it was incomplete. Only the room for the shop was cemented. Despite that, it was satisfying to know that paying rent was history. 

Challenges

On some days, I ate cassava chips and drank tea in order to save money to build the house. I was a single mother, so saving money alone was a huge task. 

Sometimes, paying workers was also a challenge. I often promised them money, but sometimes failed to deliver. I eventually took a loan from a microfinance company to complete the house. It took me seven years to pay back the loan.

Advice to women

Some women think it is the responsibility of only men to provide for their families, so they end up spending money on luxuries. However, some men run away from such responsibilities. 

It is satisfying when you have something to show for your hard work. 

Future plans

I am planning on building more rentals to cater for the increasing demand from tenants. In the future, I also want to buy another plot of land for my grandchildren.

Constructing the house

I hired a builder who was my friend. He came with another builder and two porters. I used to buy two to three bags of cement, every day. 

At the time, the price of cement was sh8,000 per bag. I bought two trips of sand, each at sh20,000. I also bought 1,300 bricks, each at sh60. The rest of the bricks were made on the site, on the advice of my mother. 

I borrowed building tools like wheelbarrows, a water tank, hoes and spades from friends. In less than a year, the house had reached the ring beam level. I monitored the construction closely, to avoid any losses. My mother also helped me supervise the site.