Work Begins on Uganda NSSF’s Sh40bn Estate in Kampala

The Ugandan National Social Security Fund has launched construction works on its Sh40 billion ($400 million) estate in Lubowa, Kampala, pushing forward a long-held plan to set up one of the country’s biggest housing projects yet.

The proposed 2,740-unit housing estate that is being built on 526 acres on Entebbe Road, about 16 kilometres from the Ugandan capital, will be built in 10 phases over ten years.

The first phase of the NSSF Lubowa estate – comprising 370 houses – will be completed and sold to the public by 2020, after which the project will become self-financing with the expectation to complete the remaining nine phases in seven years.

“This is a well thought out; well-planned housing estate that meets high standards of urban planning and it ensures that Ugandans will have quality housing,” Ugandan Finance Minister Matia Kasaija said during the groundbreaking event on September 26.

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The NSSF Lubowa housing project will also include retail and office spaces, hospitals, schools, commercial areas, fire stations, a central park and a plantation garden park to give residents a desirable environment.

The development will be undertaken by CRJE, XPCC of China in conjunction with Cementers and CRJE Brothers of Uganda, all of whom won the deal through a competitive tendering procedure.

The NSSF is optimistic that the development will help it meet the rising demand for high-quality housing for the Ugandan middle class while enabling the State pension fund to deliver better returns on members’ investments.

Uganda has a housing deficit of over two million units, a figure that is expected to grow by 300,000 units annually.

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