Releasing your home equity!

Due to population pressure, Uganda has experienced a house boom. You need to release equity from your home. FILE PHOTOS.  

By Kenneth Atugonza
Posted  Thursday, February 24 2011 at 00:00

 

Your equity in an asset is the portion or share you own outright. For example, if you have a house with no mortgage, your equity in the house is 100 per cent.

However, the equity value is tied-up and for it to be turned into cash you have to release it by selling the property or borrowing against it.

Most Ugandans own their homes outright. This is partly because many purchased/constructed them without securing a mortgage thanks to the lack of variant mortgage products in the past.

These houses (especially in and around Kampala) have greatly appreciated in value because of the high house inflation fuelled by population growth, a robust economy and the East African integration. However, in retirement, the home owners are likely to have low incomes thus being asset rich but income poor.

Because the home is the most valuable asset they are likely to have, equity release may become a temptation although this may go against the tradition of passing on the house to their children as an inheritance.

Options of releasing your home equity to meet your financial needs may include, selling your house and using some of the proceeds to buy a smaller house that is cheaper.

This is known as downsizing and is especially appealing if the children have grown up and left home.

The remainder of the money is used to meet your financial needs and the smaller house is also cheaper to maintain.

If your house is not necessarily big but is located in a prime area, you can sell and buy another property in an upcoming area. This again will enable you to raise money for your objectives, be it, to start a business or fund your children at university yet being able to purchase another home.

It is important however to be very selective of where to buy your new property because its future value will greatly depend on the neighbourhood and its access to amenities.

You may opt not to release equity from your property but use it to get a second mortgage to meet pressing needs like paying for health-care or home improvements.

This should only be considered if you have a secure income and can afford the loan repayments. Otherwise failure to service the two mortgages will put your property at risk.

A good point to start is to look at the household budget with the aim of highlight the disposable income available.Getting a second mortgage will only be plausible if you are not borrowing for consumption and are in need of a sizeable amount of money.

It makes sense because a mortgage is the cheapest form of borrowing. However, some people are borrowing on a short-term basis paying 20 per cent interest per month. When this rate is annualised, you are actually borrowing at 240 per cent compared to around 16 per cent annual rate (varies with different banks) you would pay on a second mortgage.

If on the other hand you have a mortgage but with little equity and can do with more disposable income, you can explore the possibility of remortgaging. Remortgaging is not taking out money (equity release) but switching to a cheaper lender. With more banks offering mortgages, there is growing competition and this is likely to result in cheaper mortgages (lower interest rates). 

A difference of one per cent results in huge savings (millions of shillings) on the cost of your mortgage. You should however check the charges you may incur and whether the gains from switching are worth it.

You may also consider extending your existing mortgage so that you have a longer period to repay it. Your repayment amounts will be lower leaving you with more disposable income although it ends up costing you more in interest paid.

Or else, explore the possibility of sub-letting part of your property (quarters/guest wing) to provide you with an income.You may however, need some money for house adaptations to upgrade its standard so as to levy a good rate. Looking at the UK, many pensioners’ incomes are not sufficient for all their needs partly because of the high cost of living. 

As a result, the market has developed equity release schemes designed specifically for retirees that are asset rich but income poor. An example is a lifetime mortgage. With this mortgage, no repayments (servicing the mortgage) are made during the mortgage term but interest is rolled-up and paid back with the capital amount when one dies (or at the end of the agreed period).

Because you pay interest on interest already accumulated, one can opt to draw the amount agreed in stages (as and when required) so that he/she reduces the interest paid.

An alternative is to sell the house but continue to live in it till you die. This product is known as the home reversion scheme.

You are however not paid the full value of the home (it is at a discount) because the buyer has to wait for some time to possess the property.

Whatever your age, investment in property has proven to be the surest investment vehicle because land and property appreciate in value overtime and in Uganda’s case, this appreciation is accelerated due to a high population growth and a robust economy.

Kenneth Atugonza MBA, MSc Finance.
kennethatugonza@gmail.com

Managing rent collection: A challenge to property owners

By Ephraim Kasozi
Posted  Thursday, February 17 2011 at 00:00

 

 

As more people build both commercial and domestic buildings for rent, the major challenge they face is how to manage collecting rental income from the tenants in these buildings.

Any property owners’ night mare is to have to follow up on their tenants on whether or not they are making payments. But it becomes more challenging to developers who own property in the countryside.

Mr Edirisa Sembatya, the managing director of Smarts Accounts Uganda, a local real estate managing company, says that although the goal of building residential estates and commercial plazas is to profit from the booming real estate market, “The pursuit of this goal does not end with rising up the structures, but there should also be a plan on how you are going to manage the tenants cost effectively.”

Related Stories

• Make the exterior look beautiful
• Make the house entrance inviting

The common mistake that most property owners do is to assume that they are managing a building and forget that the building cannot generate monthly returns unless tenant’s are paying promptly. He says that failure to generate monthly revenue costs many property owners millions of revenue over time.

“If you do not make out a plan to manage your tenants, you will lose money to the common acts of failure to follow up on tenants where you might just not have the time to always follow up on your tenants,” he says.

Other consequences include losing track on payment patterns, continuous excuses requesting for more time to make payments, lack of proper records on payment leading as well as creation of false receipts or payments.

“Some tenants create false deposit slips or receipts claiming to have paid in your bank accounts, so why not get yourself a payments manager? Payments management is a concept applied in different businesses,” he says.

A payments manager is a cost-effective approach to managing ones’ revenue collections without having to incur a lot of costs or losing money through fraud.

Real estate payments management is a service that solves all your rent collection on both commercial and residential properties.

Building expert warns on new museum!

Building expert warns on new museum
Sunday, 24th April, 2011
By Andante Okanya NORWEGIAN architectural expert and physical planner Cato Lund has warned of serious negative consequences if the proposed 60-storey East African Trade Centre is constructed on the Uganda Museum land. Lund, 75, who is also a physical planning don at Makerere University, was speaking at the High Court in Kampala on Thursday. He explained that the bee-hive of activity that would characterise construction of such magnitude would interrupt business at Mulago Hospital with noise and dust pollution, coupled with heavy traffic. Lund said the neighbouring Uganda Wildlife Authority, British High Commission, plus other adjacent structures may have to relocate. “The land cannot accommodate a 60-storey building. It would crush the museum. Such a structure needs a strong foundation,” he said Lund was testifying as a witness of the complainants in a suit filed against the Government over claims that the museum is to be demolished. The Attorney General (AG), who is the Government’s legal representative, is the defendant. The organisations that sued are Historic Resources Conservation Initiatives, Cross Cultural Foundations of Uganda, Historic Buildings Conservation Trust and Jenga Afrika. Their fears are based on an advert of January 14 placed by the tourism ministry in New Vision, calling for bidders to enter contracts with the Government to finance, design and build the proposed structure. The organisations want court to declare that the demolition is unequal to the use of the land as a site for the trade centre. They also said relocating the museum would destroy delicate artefacts and that no environmental impact assessment had been carried out. They advised that the structure be built elsewhere. But the Government has refuted the sinister demolition plot and has since maintained that it intends to construct the centre next to the building Housing the museum. According to the Government, the structure, which is to be completed in 30 years, will cost over sh760b. Asked by the complainants’ lawyer Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi whether the proposed structure would fit on the land, Lund said it would be impossible. The parties appeared before Justice Eldad Mwangushya. The AG was represented by State Attorney Susan Adong. Earlier, court framed points to define the course of the case. Rwakafuuzi said the contentious issue is whether it is practically possible to construct a 60-storey building without destroying the museum. But Adong said the contention is whether the building can be constructed on the land without destroying the museum. Lund said the proposed building would measure 3,000 square metres, which would mean between 3,000 and 4,000 people using it for office space. He said construction of such magnitude would mean deep excavation. Lund added that underground storeys would have to be constructed for parking space, which would “interfere with the water bed”. The hearing resumes tomorrow.

Makerere landlord wants sh10b for two halls!

Tuesday, 12th April, 2011
By Mary Karugaba THE owners of land on which Makerere University’s Africa and Livingstone halls sit, want it purchased at a cost of sh10b. According to the university secretary, Mushabe Kahunda, the university council has instituted a committee to study the legalities involved in the deal. Kahunda said the Government valuer had been contacted to value the land before negotiations with the landlords start. “After sorting out legal issues, a request shall be put to government to provide funds,” he said. Kahunda was yesterday appearing before the parliamentary committee on public accounts to answer audit queries on the university expenditure for the 2007/8 financial year. The report noted that the land Housing Livingstone Hall was under lease and the university was paying ground rent of sh15m per annum. The Auditor General’s (AG) latest report warned that if management did not act quickly, the university was likely to lose half of its main campus land, in addition to more than 30 pieces of land elsewhere. The report also noted that Buganda Kingdom claims half of the main campus’ land. Matters have been worsened by reports that the university did not have an original land title for its campus. The AG said the title got lost in 2006. In addition to the main campus land, the university has 40 land titles but of these, only eight were registered in the names of Makerere University Council. The remaining 32 were yet to be registered. Makerere is currently engrossed in a land dispute in Katanga, a city suburb and in Kololo.

Nakawa/Naguru contractor ready for work!!!

Monday, 18th April, 2011
A cross-section of the proposed redevelopment of the Nakawa/Naguru estates in Kampala By Darious Magara THE Comer Homes Group Company, the contractor for the proposed Nakawa/Naguru modern estates, is ready to start work once the Government hands over the site, a top official said last week. Mohammed Mulindwa, the Opec Prime Properties chief operations officer, noted that the construction works had been delayed by the Government failure to hand over the two sites. The Government in 2007 signed a $300m deal with Opec Prime Properties of the UK to turn the two dilapidated estates into satellite cities under a public-private partnership. The developer is expected to build 1,747 flats to resettle the sitting tenants. Mulindwa said they were ready to implement the project, which will be the first of its kind in the region. He said they will initially construct 3,500 Housing units. “These units are still a drop in the ocean for Kampala’s huge Housing deficit. Phase one starts with the 1,747 flats for the registered tenants,” Mulindwa said. He said 60% of the project will be residential and 40% commercial. The entire project is expected to be complete in 10 years. Kashaka said the Government would separately build executive apartments, commercial blocks and institutional facilities like schools, clinics, and places of worship.

I will miss Naguru housing estate!

Sunday, 10th April, 2011
By James Bakama: I SAY SO IN a week or so, Naguru and Nakawa Housing Estates could be no more. Government has issued a final ultimatum that the residents vacate the area for re-development. As someone who spent most of his childhood in Naguru, demolition of the now dilapidated houses is like rubbing away part of my history. To the sports fraternity, it’s even more hurting as a chapter in Uganda’s sports annals is about to be wiped away. The estates, built in the fifties for African city employees, fast emerged into a conveyor belt for sports talent. The likes of Phillip Omondi, Moses Nsereko, John Oduke, Yayiro Kasasa blossomed into big talents courtesy of the nearby Lugogo sports complex. The estates were not only a breeding ground for sports talent, but also leading administrators. Milton Obote, who later became President of Uganda, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, ministers Bidandi Ssali and Kirunda Kivejinja all had stints in Naguru. But what brought the area most fame was the sport of boxing. Almost every child in the area had to get an idea of boxing courtesy of the Naguru Community Centre where talent was groomed. Boxing gained cult popularity in the area in the seventies. Just like in the Wild West where life depended on how fast one could draw a gun, survival in Naguru’s narrow lanes at one point depended on how well one could throw a punch. No wonder many children thronged the community centre to get initiated into the Sweet Science. Names like John “the Beast” Mugabi, Shadrak Odhiambo and John Munduga as a result emerged. Mugabi, a Munyoro boy raised in Nakawa, lifted the area into international limelight when he won a light middleweight world title. The area was again in the spotlight when Peter Okello came close to winning a world heavyweight title. The irony of Naguru’s story however lies in two seemingly illogical extremes. The area’s golden era was at a time when Uganda was under what most people describe as a dictatorship of Idi Amin. Uganda is said to have made strides in the last 25 years. Interestingly, as the country grew, the estates steadily went to waste. Kampala City Council ceased caring for its houses. Roads turned to bushy tracks with deep galleys. The Lugogo fields were sold off. Boxers were also thrown out of the community centre. Next week, the graders will roll, but as the estate is razed, the question will be whether government has any plans of putting in place another sports village.

Basic or unique: What will your house style imitate?

Being courageous enough to experiment with different building material like that above will get you a unique beautiful house. And as you imitate house styles like the ones below always go for a design that suits your life style and keep in mind that your end result may not be as good.  

By Joe Nuwamanya
Posted  Thursday, April 21 2011 at 00:00

So what style will you build? What does a beautiful home / house look like? To be modern is to experience this as an awkward and possibly unanswerable question since the very notion of beauty has come to seem like a concept doomed to ignite unfruitful argument.

How can anyone adjudicate between the competing claims of different styles or defend a particular choice in the face of contradictory tastes of others? The creation of beauty once viewed as a central task of the architect has quietly evaporated from serious professional discussion and retreated to a private imperative.

There are several combinations of house plans and styles in magazines, books and on the internet but the designs’ may turn out to be disappointing. You will find that most of the plans are far too large and don’t fit the plot intended. And many that come close to what you are looking for will require some major compromise. Some plan books make you think the only designs with three or four bedrooms must be at least 3,000 square feet.

There are, however, a few up-to-date publications of plans that have very good designs appropriate for today’s smaller plots and more affordable housing needs.

Studying such plans may be a good start for conceiving your future home and getting yourself accustomed to reading floor plans. Collect them as examples of plans that illustrate solutions appropriate to your lifestyle. Beware of the danger of closing your mind to solutions you don’t see in these plans. Instead, let these clippings be supplements for discussing your needs with an architect, if you choose to have some professional help to juggle the interlocking demands of site, budget, energy, space planning and style you will need a professional.

Ask yourself these questions while reviewing a plan: Where will I enter the house from when arriving by car or on foot? Is that entry point pleasant or awkward and tight depending on the plot? Will I have a pleasant view of the house when arriving? Will my guests find the front door or main entrance convenient enough to use, or do the plans unwittingly encourage everyone to pass through the garage if there is one or through the kitchen door? Are the windows of the house appropriate to views and good lighting? Check every room. Is there a principal room that is so “interior” that it will be uncomfortably dark? Does the kitchen relate as desired living area or dining room? If outdoor eating is desired, how do I get to it from the kitchen?

There is need to examine the principal traffic flow from entrance to kitchen to living space or bedrooms. Is any room cut up by such a flow making furniture placement difficult? These and many questions are what you should be asking yourself but it will zero down to your life style needs and demands.

To turn something useful, practical and functional into an architectural beauty is what you should be aiming at. Many times a house or a home is said to be beautiful if it’s unique, bold and stands out from what already exists and what people are accustomed to. Being courageous enough to experiment with different building material other than the ones we are accustomed to, not sticking to a particular architectural style but being outright different is what will bring out beauty in design.

So the question still remains what style shall we build? We have become content with basic functions of the house to provide shelter, keep us warm and prevent thieves from getting in but we need to look beyond the basics and let your house “speak” and that doesn’t mean big and expensive to construct. It just means being different and standing out.

josephnuwamanya@gmail.com

New hi-tech security for residences

By ANDREW BAGALA
Posted  Thursday, April 14 2011 at 00:00

 

Often in cases of a fire breakout in residences or attacks by criminals, the first institution the occupants contact is the police through calling their emergency numbers on 999 or 112. Most of the police lines are usually congested but some get the chance to talk to the officers in the control room and explain to them what happened.

Given the unplanned residential areas and lack of plot numbers, police sometimes find that crimes have been committed, property taken or destroyed and the criminals have already vanished.

But with new interconnected alarm technology, affected residents can link up with that police instantly without having to make a call to the congested police telephone lines.

Mr Moses Kafeero, Kampala South Metropolitan Commander, says that each house is connected to a system which linked to the area police station.

“In a case a resident who is connected to the system is attacked by criminals, he or she just needs to press a distress button that will set an alarm at the police station,” Mr Kafeero says.

He adds that the police officers at the station will automatically see the affected resident on their computer monitors using a Google map and thus send armed officers to attend to the occupants.

This new alarm tracking system is being piloted in Muyenga in Makindye Division, Kampala District and it will be rolled out in other parts like Kololo and Naguru.

A residential area free of armed robberies, burglary, breaking in and vandalism not only attracts real estate development but also draws more home buyers.

The alarm systems come in different types. Some are installed in the window and can sense vibration sensors, door monitors, portable panic buttons and motion detectors while others are wired to prevent unauthorised entry.

Any trigger of any of these sensors automatically activates the premise system which transmits a signal to the police control room to dispatch officers.

Mr Yasiin Omar, a Muyenga Parish Local Council official and one of the beneficiaries, says that the alarm tracking system has not only helped to reduce crime in the area but also increase police efficiency.

“We don’t need to trace a place where the crime has been committed but the computer shows us the exact place where there is a problem,” Mr Omar says. He adds that the alarm tracking system has reduced the residents’ cost son private security guards and probably the crimes associated with misuse of guns.

This is part of neighbourhood watch under the community policing strategy. Since the project started, he says, crime rates dropped by 80 per cent.

Mr Ishaq Kyagulanyi, Muyenga Police Station Office-in-Charge, says they were recording about 120 cases every month but after the project started, those cases have dropped to 25 a month.

He adds that after the suspects have been arrested, their photographs and fingerprints are captured and fed in the computer so that they can’t commit crimes in the area again.

Securex manager, Mr Sachin K. Kochargaonkar, who was part of the team that connected residents to the security system, says they provided portable panic buttons and automatic intruder alarm systems which alert the police whenever there is a problem at home and 100 metres away from the home.

Home Experience: I will never rent in the same place as the land lady

By Home Experience
Posted  Thursday, April 21 2011 at 00:00

I had always heard people complaining that it’s very hard to stay within the same fence as the land lady,
I had failed to understand them, until I had to stay with one and then I realised what they meant.

I moved into a house last year in February, hoping to get peace of mind after long stressful days at work.
The land lady is the worst I have ever known. She was an educated corporate lady but the worst of all. Her house helpers would use our charcoal sack and cook our food because we shared the same store, and the lady did not do or say anything about it.

The situation intensified, when she started competing with me. Imagine a woman in her late 30s competing with one 15 years younger that her! It got to a point where she started back biting us with her house boy and girl. I will never forget the time she fired her house boy and then came to knock at our door at 10p.m. to ask us to open the gate for her because she was going out. She returned at around midnight and expected my husband to open the gate for her.

We felt this was too much to handle and decided to vacate her premises. We then went to see her to get back the security fee we had paid, amounting to Shs300,000 since we would not be completing the time we had agreed on. She was meant to return it but she refused to do so, and on the day we were leaving her place, she left to town before us with our security fees.

From that day, I decided never to rent a house where the land lord resides within the same fence.

Rid your house of waste the right way

Rubbish bins are best placed in the kitchen where most of the waste is generated. FILE PHOTO 

 

By TABITHA WAMBUI
Posted  Thursday, April 21 2011 at 00:00

A home in which people and their families live needs to be clean and organised. It has to be hygienic too if the family is to have good health. It is therefore important to make sure that waste is disposed off properly.

Ms Brenda Kalanzi who owns a house in Muyenga, a city suburb says that although she can afford to use electrical appliances, she prefers the traditional methods of cooking. She cooks her food using firewood and it is always prepared in banana leaves. However, you will not find splinters of wood or used banana fibres or leaves scattered in her compound. This is because she takes care to dispose the rubbish properly.

Kalanzi says that she burns off a full container of waste every day. “Every morning, I pour all the garbage on an iron sheet to dry up. I later set it on fire in the evening. When I have leftovers of food, I give it out to friends who have animals to consume,” she says. “I do not let my home get crowed with garbage.” She says that this has kept her home looking clean and conducive for hosting all kinds of people.

So what exactly is waste disposal and how can it be done? Mr Simon Muhumuza the Public Relations Officer, Kampala City council defines waste disposal as the management or getting rid of unwanted stuff to keep the environment, human beings and animals from harm. He says that it is essential to get rid of waste in a home regularly because it promotes health and hygiene standards of the people in the home and the surroundings. “It is very easy for a household to get health complications if the waste is not disposed well,” he says, adding that leftover food particles attract a lot of flies which can cause diseases like diarrhoea and cholera.

Waste disposal is of different types and these include composite, collection service and scatter.

Composite
Muhumuza explains that composite waste disposal is the type where one digs up a pit where they can pour away all related food particles. He says that “The waste disposed can be leftover food and peels. These can be used as manure in a garden after they have decomposed.” Muhumuza says that there is no standard measure for the size of a disposal site, however, the pit should be dug at least three metres from the main house and it should be behind the kitchen. “This pit should not be too deep because there is no way you will get out the manure when transferring it to the garden. It is also risky to human and animal life within the home,” he emphasises. If you are to use polythene paper to collect rubbish before pouring it in the pit, Muhumuza cautions you not to pour it along with the waste because polythene is dangerous to the environment. “Carefully separate them and burn them (the polythene bags) off. While shopping, try to minimise using polythene bags and use paper ones instead,” he advises.

Once the pit gets full, the owner has to remove the waste and transfer it to the garden.

Collection service
With the collection service, waste is disposed of by the homeowner collecting all his or her waste, piling it in a polythene bag or waste bucket and giving it to garbage collectors who pick it after a given period of time. The services are paid for by the home owner. The PRO adds that collection service is most commonly used in urban centres where residents have no space for pits. If one is using a waste bucket, it should be put behind the kitchen window. Once the polythene bag or waste bucket is full, it should be put in a suitable place where the garbage collectors can easily see it and pick it up.

Scatter type
The scatter type, Muhumuza says, is the most common way people around town dispose the waste. According to him, it is also the most dangerous type of waste disposal because it carries many risks such as diseases like cholera and other infections.

Maintenance tips
•Always cover the pit and the bucket after disposing any waste.
•For the polythene bag, tie the upper part to avoid flies from invading the home
•Sprinkle ash or soil on the pit to avoid flies and a bad smell.

Rods take over curtain boxes

 

By JULIET KIGONGO
Posted  Thursday, April 21 2011 at 00:00

 

People have used ropes and curtain boxes to hang up their curtains. But that was then. Mr Eric Galiwango, a shop attendant at Biplous Uganda Ltd says all these are old fashioned. Curtain rods are the fashionable way to go.

Curtain boxes are out of favour because they trap a lot of dust on top, making the curtains dirty. Fixing a curtain rod depends on the size of the window or door. If one wants to buy a curtain rod, they should visit their specialist with the window or door’s measurements.

“Before a curtain rod is screwed up, a curtain rail, which also has screws where a net will be fixed before putting runners that will help it move from one side to another, must be fixed first,” Galiwango says.

After fixing the holders in the wall, one has to place the rod in the holders with the rings fixed in it that will hold the curtain. Then, fix the metal hooks in the rings that have been already placed in the rod.

Also fix the end caps to cover the inner part of the rod. Then take measurements of the rod to enable you fix the curtain hooks that will hold the curtain and the tiebacks. Tiebacks are rope-like materials which are used to hold a curtain together in one place in case one wants to open it wide. 

Curtain hooks and runners help the curtain and net to move freely on the rod and rail. Galiwango cautions that before fixing the curtains, one should leave 15cm from the floor (skating) to the curtain. The curtain rods that are on the market are classified into three types: gold curtain rods, wooden curtain rods and black curtain rods.

Gold curtain rods
These have the most elegant look especially when put in the sitting room. “There is nothing that glitters like gold,” says Galiwango. However, they do not last as long as the rest because the gold coating peels off easily, making the interior house look awful.

Wooden curtain rods
Wooden curtain rods are very strong and last longer. But they can easily be destroyed by rodents if not well vanished.

Black curtain rods
These curtain rods are very good because they allow someone to design their curtains depending on the designs the curtain has.

A gold curtain rod of six metres is sold with all the accessories (tiebacks, screws, runners, metal hooks, rings, end cap and holders) and costs Shs120,000 at Biplous.

A black curtain rod of six metres costs Shs115,000 with all accessories. Wooden curtain rods of a metre long go for Shs25,000.

Curtain accessories such as tiebacks and metallic hooks are sold separately without rods attached. Tiebacks cost between Shs15,000 and Shs20,000, metallic hooks cost Shs5,000, curtain runners cost Shs4,000 and big curtain hooks cost Shs15,000.

Kireka shoulders Kampala’s population

	E-mail article   Print article
The construction of Mandela National stadium in the mid-90s triggered the development of Kireka KAMPALA City is overwhelmed by a fast growing population. Like a glutton, 21 hills have been swallowed up by its expansion. The 19sqkm on the seven hills as it were in the 1960s are no more. Kireka, a suburb which carelessly sits along the Jinja-Kampala highway, is one of the most affected areas. The city seems to have extended to Kireka while we were not looking. Housing estates, supermarkets, hostels, banks, hawkers and hotels are conducting brisk business here. Property in Kireka does not come cheap. Renting a two bed-roomed unit costs sh250,000 and above. Land lords ask for the initial payment to cover three months in rent advance. Thereafter, payments are done monthly. A flat is available for sh450,000-sh600,000 per month. A two roomed house is tagged sh150,000 while a plot measuring 50x100metres goes for sh20m and above. The construction of Mandela National Stadium in 1995/6 triggered development. Residents still whisper about how wild dogs mysteriously disappeared from the area during those 12 months of construction. Shortly after, the Northern Bypass came to life, making Kireka easily accessible. The now tarmacked Kamuli Road connects Bugolobi and Naalya to beyond. Business is brisk while real estate buildings has borne millionaires in this neighbourhood. With radars of money-minting opportunities on full alert, hotels of all classes have been established. Today, you cannot ignore Kabaka Mutebi’s motorcade and the presence of diplomatic Waswa Birigwa. Before royality got an address there, President Museveni and Ndugu Ruhakana Rugunda were once residents. This was before the NRM rebellion started in the 1980s. However, efforts to locate where they lived at that time are fruitless. All day, traffic in Kireka is heavy as civil servants, students and traders commute to and from the city. During the just concluded presidential elections, all eyes were on Kireka because Mandela National Stadium was the national tallying centre. Most political parties have held their national meetings at the stadium while international evangalists like Benny Hinn and Creflo Dollar once filled the same stadium to capacity with congregations. Folks with huge appetites patronise Kado Pado, Zinc Pub, Planet One, Nassanga Restaurant and Blue Bar. Ask and you will join a chess or scrabble club in Kireka. At Extreme dance-hall, night life revellers hop about like they are stepping on live electric wires. It is the Stamina dance style in vogue and the youth cut of a Mohawk hairstyle. Some of these joints are open 24 hours throughout the week. Patrons here have preferences — the Sebei and Karimojong prefer Victoria Club. Petima is popular for lovers and gamblers. Kireka is swarming with prostitutes and by midnight most men are drunkenly swearing their undying love or even proposing marriage to these women of the night. Diners of toninyira (mobile food vendors) have a long menu comprising pilao, yams, kikomando, tea, bushera, roast sausages, fish and chips. The negotiable pocket friendly prices range between sh200 and sh2,000 a meal. Students from hostels, bachelors and spinsters are often seen eating or taking away their dinner. Second-hand car markets and hardware shops which cater for the needs of residents here are a brisk business. Paint, cigarettes and a brewery employ part of Kireka’s population. Kireka market was recently renovated and has better stalls and a more hygienic environment. This is the place that feeds the swelling population. Kireka can become a better place to live in if there is reduction in sound pollution, improvement in garbage collection and construction of more public toilets.