Why fuss over gated homes?
Sep 06, 2011
MOST residents who live in gated communities cite security as the reason for choosing them as a home. According to Anatoli Kamugisha, the managing director Akright projects, one of the leading builders of gated developments in Uganda, security is critical when it comes to choosing a home.
By Joyce Nyakato
MOST residents who live in gated communities cite security as the reason for choosing them as a home. According to Anatoli Kamugisha, the managing director Akright projects, one of the leading builders of gated developments in Uganda, security is critical when it comes to choosing a home.
In a nation confronting security jitters, living behind walls and knowing your neighbours is security enough for many.
Security is a top concern for the employed, since they spend most of their time out of home and want to be assured of the safety of their hard-earned assets. Such social demands have led to the increase in gated communities.
According to Alex Muhumuza, an architect, gated communities are becoming the in-thing today as they are easy to rent out compared to a single bungalow. Though they may be likened to estates, he highlights the difference. Some estates contain a block of individual gated houses. However, in gated communities, houses do share one gate or fence.
“Gated communities are communities with the same character, security and share a number of social amenities,†he says.
He admits that gated communities have become popular. Homeowners in gated communities live in upscale and mostly rich developments. Though they have not existed for long, gated communities, which are more likened to the estates, are fast developing in the middle class residential neighbourhoods in Uganda. With the high-rise building complexes and designs, the communities are good to the eye.
Currently, the biggest gated community we have in Uganda is the Kakungulu Satellite City off Entebbe Road, with 2000 bungalows. Other gated developments by the project include the estates in Namugongo. Palm Villas is another private gated community with condominiums and bungalows which was opened in Munyonyo in 2006.
It comprises 25 fully-furnished double-storey units and five luxurious bungalows in one compound. Security is guaranteed and they have a good lake view.
Currently, Tirupati development is constructing a gated community in Naguru, that is due completion in nine months.
The high-end gated community will have a suspended swimming pool, ample parking space, CCTV cameras and sports facilities. In the more affluent suburbs, like Naguru, Naalya, Muyenga and Buziga, the rent may range from $1,000 (sh2.7m) to $4,000 (sh10.8m) a month depending on the bungalow.
A number of these communities are mainly targeted by foreigners and high end nationals who cite security and sense of belonging as the main reason they opt for them.
According to Peninah Namukasa who lives in an estate in Naguru, most of the people who opt for these estates are very security conscious. “The estates are usually crime free,†she says. Namukasa is also a lover of quiet and peaceful environments and these communities offer just that.
Roselyn Karungi who lives in a gated community in Najjera, another Kampala suburb, agrees there is clearly a demand for such properties. Though dubbed as high end, the concept of gated communities is growing particularly among young professionals. They are attracted by the prestige that comes with living in such communities.
To meet the market demands, some projects like Akright have offered some houses at cheaper fees. This way, more ordinary Ugandans are likely to get a chance of living behind high walls.
Kamugisha explains that the cheapest rental in the big Kakungulu Estate Satellite City costs sh500,000 a month, while others have shot up to sh1m. “The costs all depends on the size of the house and the location, “he says.
However, the rising trend may cause concern that these new ghettos of affluence are dividing society and could undermine public services.
Muhumuza does not reckon that these homes cut off people from the rest of the community. He says the idea of having all the services in one gate is to ease the life of the tenants.
MOST residents who live in gated communities cite security as the reason for choosing them as a home. According to Anatoli Kamugisha, the managing director Akright projects, one of the leading builders of gated developments in Uganda, security is critical when it comes to choosing a home.
In a nation confronting security jitters, living behind walls and knowing your neighbours is security enough for many.
Security is a top concern for the employed, since they spend most of their time out of home and want to be assured of the safety of their hard-earned assets. Such social demands have led to the increase in gated communities.
According to Alex Muhumuza, an architect, gated communities are becoming the in-thing today as they are easy to rent out compared to a single bungalow. Though they may be likened to estates, he highlights the difference. Some estates contain a block of individual gated houses. However, in gated communities, houses do share one gate or fence.
“Gated communities are communities with the same character, security and share a number of social amenities,†he says.
He admits that gated communities have become popular. Homeowners in gated communities live in upscale and mostly rich developments. Though they have not existed for long, gated communities, which are more likened to the estates, are fast developing in the middle class residential neighbourhoods in Uganda. With the high-rise building complexes and designs, the communities are good to the eye.
Currently, the biggest gated community we have in Uganda is the Kakungulu Satellite City off Entebbe Road, with 2000 bungalows. Other gated developments by the project include the estates in Namugongo. Palm Villas is another private gated community with condominiums and bungalows which was opened in Munyonyo in 2006.
It comprises 25 fully-furnished double-storey units and five luxurious bungalows in one compound. Security is guaranteed and they have a good lake view.
Currently, Tirupati development is constructing a gated community in Naguru, that is due completion in nine months.
The high-end gated community will have a suspended swimming pool, ample parking space, CCTV cameras and sports facilities. In the more affluent suburbs, like Naguru, Naalya, Muyenga and Buziga, the rent may range from $1,000 (sh2.7m) to $4,000 (sh10.8m) a month depending on the bungalow.
A number of these communities are mainly targeted by foreigners and high end nationals who cite security and sense of belonging as the main reason they opt for them.
According to Peninah Namukasa who lives in an estate in Naguru, most of the people who opt for these estates are very security conscious. “The estates are usually crime free,†she says. Namukasa is also a lover of quiet and peaceful environments and these communities offer just that.
Roselyn Karungi who lives in a gated community in Najjera, another Kampala suburb, agrees there is clearly a demand for such properties. Though dubbed as high end, the concept of gated communities is growing particularly among young professionals. They are attracted by the prestige that comes with living in such communities.
To meet the market demands, some projects like Akright have offered some houses at cheaper fees. This way, more ordinary Ugandans are likely to get a chance of living behind high walls.
Kamugisha explains that the cheapest rental in the big Kakungulu Estate Satellite City costs sh500,000 a month, while others have shot up to sh1m. “The costs all depends on the size of the house and the location, “he says.
However, the rising trend may cause concern that these new ghettos of affluence are dividing society and could undermine public services.
Muhumuza does not reckon that these homes cut off people from the rest of the community. He says the idea of having all the services in one gate is to ease the life of the tenants.