Part of Luswata’s house in Mpererwe. He bought a 50 by 100 plot at Shs7 million in 2003. Inset, Luswata takes a selfie with his daughter Victoria Nanziri.
By Edgar R. Batte
Posted
Wednesday, December 16
2015 at
02:00
In Summary
Philip Luswata, a renown actor and producer in Uganda, is one of the popular faces behind Makutano Junction, a TV series which is televised in Kenya and Uganda. Luswata, who is currently building another house in Kenya where his wife and family stay, spoke to Edgar R. Batte, about building in both countries.
Building was not something I had given so much thought to. I was pushed by Kojja, a cleaner at the National Theatre then, who is now retired. He said he had seen many artistes make money and grow old with nothing to show for. My interest then was in buying vehicles.
Kampala house
This challenged me and I started thinking of buying land, which I did in 2003. I was 30 then. Then started building in 2006.
Although the house was up and roofed in two months, completion is a different story.
The land is 50 by 100, set in Mpererwe, Namere, bordering Kawempe in Ttula, so theoretically it is Kawempe but practically in Mpererwe.
I bought the land at Shs7m at the time.
I earned the money from my art-related work. We were playing ludo at the Musicians Club at the theatre when a friend suggsted that I become his neighbour in Namere. I had never even heard of theplace then.
When we went looking, I also found that my maternal aunt lives in the same area, so I was motivated.
While I did not take what my friend had suggested, I was happy to follow my aunt’s suggestion.
Establishing a good relationship with mason
At the time, Namere was just a village, mostly frequented for burials.
My place was in the middle of a banana plantation.
The landlord was selling five plots.
She was the most expensive around because she was giving a land title with the purchase.
With a little luck, everyone who bought was determined to build a home, so our small community quickly grew into a neighbourhood.
I learnt that the process of building does not end.
The first phase was to put up the structure to roofing which was done quite quickly.
I stayed away for a year. I also completed one room and moved in.
The rest I did while living there, mostly driven by necessity.
I did not do any book-keeping or track the costs.
I believe that if you think of costs, you might never build. Thinking about it is prohibitive, especially for the first house.
The relationship
So, I built a good relationship with my foreman and had him add something whenever I got some money.
I never really thought of cost. It was money in money out. No serious planning.
The two phases where I really felt the pinch in my pocket were the tiling and the locking of the house where windows and doors were involved.
My mason helped me manage all phases. Since I knew what I wanted, we would agree on what materials I needed to move from point A to B.
I also had an idea of what labour would cost and what the results should be.
I would avail all this to the mason.
Supervising the work
Then return to check whether my expectations on the deliveries were made and tallied with what I had paid for.
I was never there physically.
If you believe that builders will cheat you, they will, even if you are there.
I knew what to expect and I looked out for that.
It is a three-bedroom house with a kitchen, pantry, two toilets, sitting room with a corner bar and dining room.
COMPARING BUILDING COSTS IN KAMPALA AND NAIROBI
I think it is cheaper to set up a home in Nairobi than in Kampala. The baked bricks we use in Kampala are smaller and more expensive than the stones used in Nairobi. It also requires less plastering work.
One stone covers the space of five baked bricks. Construction is more manageable in Kenya than in Uganda. I am lucky I did not have to buy land here. It was a wedding gift from my father-in-law. It is in excess of quarter an acre.
The house I am putting up in Nairobi is a little bigger than the one in Kampala. In Kampala, I built a home. In Nairobi, I am setting up what I feared to build in Kampala.
Luswata’s house plan drawn by Fred Katungi. Originally, the Kampala house plan was double storyed, but Luswata revised it down to what he could afford
Initially, the Kampala house was double storyed, but I feared when I saw how big the foundation was, so I revised it down to what I thought I could afford.
The Nairobi home will have four bedrooms; family room, sitting room, study and all other relevant spaces.
Here, I pay the foreman and he decides on his team.
That is how it is working. I am not in a big hurry. I have given myself five years, but again, with God’s blessing it could be sooner.
I initially hoped to settle in Kampala but my wife and children are this way and seem to be bent on staying so it is not much of a choice really. People in Kampala have a home in the city and in the village. I guess it is manageable.
I would like to spend as much time with my family as possible. Even as I construct, we talk and share ideas with my wife. At the end of the day, she is the head of the home.
Her ideas must be fully fused into the design. She had the final say with the architect.
He charged us Ksh100,000 (about Shs3,200,000). I requested to have a bar.
That really is my only indulgence. I enjoy entertaining when I can afford it.
Being that I mostly live alone in Kampala, I spend most time in my bedroom. I come in to sleep and walk straight out when I get up, no special preference.
Lessons from building
Throughout the construction process, I have learnt that it is not difficult to have a home.
The only tricky thing is getting the land. Once that is out of the way, do not limit yourself by budgeting. You will never complete if you worry about costs.
Do what you are comfortably can, the rest can be carried on by children, so don’t harass yourself with deadlines.
I built my house at my own leisure and pace. When I had money, I put it down and when I didn’t have, I didn’t sweat.
I can’t think of any major challenge other than what is normal.
Up to today, I continue to re-modify my house.
I started living in it after two years but I was particular with what I wanted.
I wanted a scenario where the occupants of each bedroom could physically see each other through their bedroom windows.
I have been to hotels with massive rooms.
That is what I wanted for my house and that is what I went for, especially for the master bedroom.
The plan for the house was drawn by a friend called Fred Katungi.
Advice to those intending to build
My advice to people who would like to build is if you wait to get the money to build, you might never build.
You can start building your dream house with one brick at a time. I was afraid but I am also doing that in Nairobi.
Once you buy the first brick, you find that naturally you need the second and so on. It is one brick at a time. You are not Roko.
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