Ministry Still Grappling with Issues of Houses for the Poor and Vulnerable; Says Minister Nabakooba

The Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development is still grappling with issues of houses for the poor and vulnerable.

According to the Minister of Lands, Hon Judith Nabakooba, the current uncertainty of the changing climate is a threat. There are associated risks and anticipations of impacts on housing development, which requires a refocus in the way we plan spatially for urban areas. 

"As you are aware, the recent rains are here and the devastating reality for many is manifested in the cities of Uganda and other urban areas. In choosing where to live, emphasis must be put on the importance of the surrounding environment," Nabakooba said.

In urban places like the cities and municipalities, houses and buildings are being built in unsuitable areas like flood zones; wetlands; steep hills and close to riparian buffer zones. Buildings have been found not to be in compliance with the national building standard, or to be brought into compliance for various reasons!

"As government we are committed to creating safe housing for all. To achieve this good will, together with the public and private sector, we must all improve on resilience functions in the housing development process, so that residents continue to live safely in the event of a natural or man-made threat," minister Nabakooba said.

She said that housing is one of the turn key sectors in the greater framework of the urban economy, and once unlocked, it will be to enable contribute a greater role to fight poverty through job creation and transform the development of the country.

"As we mark the World Habitat Day WHD, building greater resilience and better protecting especially urban vulnerable populations requires far greater investments in sustainable infrastructure, and affordable, adequate housing for all," Nabakooba emphasized.

She acknowledged that access to adequate housing in Uganda remains a big challenge. It is characterized by inadequacy in terms of quality and quantity both in rural and urban areas.

Hon Nabakooba listed some of the areas where government’s direct interventions will help in an attempt to address affordability issues:-

Establishing a land bank to build a block of land from excess land holdings. Surveying and registering all public land and land under customary tenure. Reviewing property tax policies to encourage the development of land for low-cost housing that is affordable. Instituting enforcable policies and legal instruments to guide and set standards for land valuation. Regulating, guiding and promoting the real estate sector.

The minister made the remarks on Thursday during the 2nd National Housing Symposium. Last year at the close of the 1st edition of the Housing Symposium, it was resolved that such a forum should become an annual convention  of all key stakeholders in the housing sector, including development partners, private companies, the academia, professional bodies, CSO’s, housing enablers, policy makers and building materials service providers to take a look at the Housing situation in the country.