Gitta has always wanted to leave a mark on his village

By Umar Nsubuga

I was born to the family of Lutwama in Kisaasi. In 1999, I enrolled for a certificate course in interior design at Kyambogo University. 

In 2000, when I was just 21 years old I completed the course and waited for my first business. But when I was at the university I was working as a custodian.

After some time I got married and started a family. But the pressures of my family forced me to look for various ways of getting money.

My wife Joy Gitta advised me to get a salary loan and we do something. I used to decorate people’s weddings, and I was working with wife, I set up a welding work shop. 

Plot plans

I did not buy a plot; before my father died he had given a piece of land. After getting a salary loan, my wife advised to build at least a small house.  I used to walk through Kyambogo, Ntinda and Kiwatule and I had a look at the houses because I want to use some similar plans for my house.

I believed these houses were some of the well planned houses in Nakawa division. I decided to replicate the plans.

Materials

I started buying building materials. First, I bought 8,000 bricks each at Shs90, sand I bought four trucks (magulu kumi), a truck of stones, two wheelbarrows, spades, pang as, and 100 bags of cement I bought all them in one week.

Construction costs

I hired three builders and four porters. I would pay each builder Shs15, 000 per day and porters were paid Shs5, 000.

I found it cheaper to pay them only the days they worked than paying them on the contract basis.

Another step which was expensive was the beam which consumed a lot of cement and iron bars. But I was determined to do quality building.

Supervision

My wife Joy helped me so much. She acted as the instructor on the site; she actually supervised all the workers. Generally my wife gave me a lot of help in whatever I did.

Challenges

Water was a big challenge when I was constructing because there was no piped water and wells were not many.

What was really challenging was balancing between working and building.

Building a house is not an easy task; transportation of construction materials is very expensive since you have to pay any one who steps on your site.

Size of the house he rents

It is a three-bed roomed self-contained house. It has a kitchen, dining room, living room and study room.

For windows and doors I did my own welding and designs because it is also part of work.

Roofing

The most complicated part in construction is always the roof. The roofing cannot be done in phases and this makes it very expensive. The advantage after it is done, you can actually stop for some time and resume later.

Sacrifices

Building is not an easy task because as a young man I used to admire many plans, you need to make a lot of sacrifices.

I forgot about many luxurious things like hanging out with my wife, buying expensive clothes or shoes. 

Housing advice

Constructing a house is not all about having a lot of money. If you are waiting to first save millions then start building, you will end up without a home.

Start with that little money you have and build in phases. I needed a modest house although I did not have cash at hand and so I decided to build phases because I used salary loan.

I may not be very rich man but I love giving my wife and children the best and also looking after myself.

I am a modern man, who loves himself but at the same time, very hardworking. I want to give my family everything they need that is with in my reach.

I was not under any pressure to build and finish in a short time.

Property

The design of random rubble below windows gives it a good artistic outlook. There is a hedge which protects the compound from passerby. In the compound also stand trees which provide a cool resting.

I also made sure that I used the best material, especially in the interior finishing of the house.

For the floor, I decided to use tiles because they are more beautiful and classy.

No matter all I have gone through, I am very happy to live in my own house; some of my colleagues have not built.

I really thank God for everything that he has done for me.

Gardens and the recreation centre

I carried out a survey about starting a recreation centre and I discovered that it would be profitable for me to start it. He has also built more rentals. 

As an interior and compound designer, he wanted a new look for his compound. “Me and my wife we are all interior designers, and we had been in this place for a longtime, we wanted to get a different designs and my wife helped me to come up with a new look for our home”, he says.

Gitta had an idea of turning his home into a recreation centre, but it took him some time. His compound has a lot of plants. He trims his plants mold all the sits because he is a welder.

In his compound there are different designs of metallic sits and tables. “To make my things unique I place everything according to colours and designs”, he narrates.

The driveway has shorter, flowering plants; he has planted a number of flowers that make his compound more attractive.

His mentors

Gitta says his late father Mr. Lutwama is one of his mentors. “My father was such dedicated worker, I learnt a lot from him”. He has also learnt a lot from working with different people.

Abdul Kyeyune his neighbor says Gitta began by planting a few plants and molding, when we were seeing him and now he is a big man.