Jinja’s poorest benefit from Mpumudde’s low cost houses

Jan 16, 2006

ON a sunny morning, Julius Omalla, 60, trudges in front of a modest house bare-footed and carries a basin full of water. He carefully lays the basin down on a neatly trimmed lawn, then stoops, folds his trousers and sleeves before squatting. He reaches for a brush, drenches it in water then dutifull

By Moses Nampala
and Robert Kanusu

ON a sunny morning, Julius Omalla, 60, trudges in front of a modest house bare-footed and carries a basin full of water. He carefully lays the basin down on a neatly trimmed lawn, then stoops, folds his trousers and sleeves before squatting. He reaches for a brush, drenches it in water then dutifully, starts to scrub his veranda. He abandons what he is doing and with a creased face barks at a toddler who sauntered on the clean part of the veranda, leaving little foot marks.

Like the biblical Abraham and his wife who God shocked with a baby in his old age, Omalla went to bed a tenant but woke up a landlord six months ago courtesy of City Community Challenge (C3). This is a project helping slum dwellers with housing and income generating activities.

“I have not recovered from this shock, ever since this house was handed over to me,” the old man says.

He then rhetorically asks, “how can a person resigned to a life of a destitute, become a landlord overnight? My mind was numb with excitement... I have always been at loss of words to express my gratitude to the sponsors of this low cost housing project.”
Omalla is among the 160 beneficiaries of the low cost housing project C3 that targeted the poor urban community.

Directorate of the International Development funded the sh500m project at Mpumudde, east of Jinja town.
Six years ago the settlement at Mpumudde, was a squalid slum. “The whole of this place was covered with pathetic structures before the coming of C3,” Omalla says. The structures were built with mud and wattle, some had cardboard roofs, while others were covered with polythene.

To access the settlement from the Jinja-Kamuli Highway, one had to tread through footpaths that meandered through overgrown grass.
Like the proverbial ugly duckling that turned into a beautiful swan, Mpumudde once a habitation with dilapidated shanties is now a glamourous estate constituting permanent houses in straight rows.

Omalla is not alone in receiving the surprise. Betty Mafabi says, apart from acquiring descent permanent homes, the project has empowered her economically. The project has also established a savings and credit scheme to improve their household income. “We received sh500,000 as capital for productive activities,” Mafabi adds.
So far, the programme has 160 beneficiaries. Most of the beneficiaries now have backyard projects like piggery, poultry and groceries.

The coordinator of C3 project and Jinja town Clerk, David Naluwayiro says this was the beginning of finding solutions to problems facing urban authorities.

Kampala city council and Jinja municipal council, pilot areas had to identify the areas of intervention and Jinja municipality chose to provide better housing in Mpumudde. Naluwayiro says ministry of lands, water and environment donated 25 hectares that belonged to the National Housing Co-operation. He adds the squatters were given first priority.

Naluwayiro attributes the success of the project to division of responsibilities. While Jinja Municipality played the supervisory and technical roles, the beneficiaries provided physical labour.
The L.C 3 chairman, Mike Kasedde says the houses are sufficient for the beneficiary. They have two bedrooms, a sitting room, a store, flash toilets and kitchen.

“The beneficiaries have to pay sh3.5m with interest of 5% over 5 years before owning the houses,” Naluwayiro remarks.

The success of the project has stimulated United Nations Habitat International and negotiations that are to see 100 more houses constructed are underway.

Kasedde, who is also the chairperson of the loan recovery committee, says there are minimal chances for defaulters and loss of the beneficiary’s houses.

If a beneficiary fails to remit the required amount monthly, the committee temporarily repossesses it. “We rent out the premises until the money is recovered then he (original beneficiary) can get his property back,” Kasedde said.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});