Ms. Amina Ndawusi’s (not real name) dream was to put a roof over the heads of her two children, aged three and five.
The mother of two left Uganda for Dubai after a bitter separation with the father of her children – her ex-husband had thrown them out of his home and were left homeless.
Ms. Amina returned to live with her mother, but quickly realized she did not want to be a burden to her aging mother. She wanted to give her children a happy childhood and decent life, as well as take care of her mother.
“After I make some money, I want to build my children a home and use the rest of the money to start a business,” she vowed before she set out to work as a maid.
Her mission was set.
In 2018, Amina arrived in Dubai. She had got a housemaid job in one of the homes.
“Life was not easy. My mind was on my children in the first days. I wanted to return home as soon as I could. But I had a purpose. I needed a house and a business. I decided to work hard and save as much as I could.”
Amina’s bosses allowed her to work for a second home – their relative. She was able to make an extra cash.
She had opened a bank account on which she saved her money. She also sent small upkeep for the children to the mother.
That was before she read about Kabaka’s affordable, Mirembe estate in Sentema. It awakened her desire to own a house.
There were several options. She could send her mother money to buy a plot somewhere, then, get a builder, to raise the house. But when she thought about the problems of fake land, and cheats who come as builders, she thought if she could buy an affordable home, all the worries will be buried.
In Mirembe estate Sentema, a one-bedroom goes for sh58 million, sh95 million for two bedrooms, and sh135 million for a three-bedroom. Yet homes come with services such as water, electricity, and security, managed by the estate management.
Amina was ambitious. She thought about the two-bedroom house would be ideal and prize for her hard work in a foreign land. One bedroom to reward herself and another for her children.
The Mirembe Villas agent spoke to Amina about the steps of acquiring the house. She also didn’t have to pay at once— but installments for at least two years.
“It was doable.” She said.
Here was Amina purchasing a home in Mirembe Estate Sentema, a gated community seated on 55 acres with housing units of one, two and three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.
“I loved the countryside view, but near Kampala city. It promised to give my children a sense of security, a nearby school, playing area, shopping mall, among other things,” Amina recalls.
Amina was sent all documentation regarding her property. She was able to read through all of them while in Dubai, and she was able to arrange her payment schedule without stepping into Uganda.
“The Chinese company these homes are experienced builders. And the company selling the houses is trusted. I was sure I was dealing with the right people.” Amina, whose house has been completed, told this website.
Kabaka’s estate in Sentema is being built by Guoji Group Company (U) Limited, who also built the state of art houses in Mirembe Villas Kigo.
“I am going to live in a house, sitting in an organized environment. I don’t need billions of shillings to buy myself this comfort. I thank Kabaka of Buganda for considering this project for low and medium income earners.”
Amina and other owners of homes in Mirembe estate Sentema get amenities such as shopping mall, restaurant, clinic, garden and kids playing area. They also enjoy services such as rubbish collection, power and water maintenance, landscape maintenance and tough security.
This is what Amina loved about Dubai. Living in organized neighbourhood. And here in Uganda, she was getting it at throw-away prices.
Amina’s house has a roof made from Lightweight coated Metal Roofing Tiles. These are modern roofing materials that make the house look cool as well as durable.
The windows modern aluminum, hanging in a structure of brick-concrete structure, with Masonry block walls and Reinforced concrete slab.
The floor is of modern ceramic quality tiles in all areas of the house including the entrance, living room, dining room, bathrooms, and bedrooms. They also have Anti-skid ceramic tiles in the bathroom.
When you come to her bathrooms, they are built with anti-skid ceramic tiles for flooring, ceramic tiles on walls for the wet areas, and ceramic washbasin in all the toilets. The contractor used Super quality sanitary and bathroom fittings, installed a single lever tap and shower mixer. She also has a water heater supply and concealed pipelines for the washrooms, kitchen, and yard.
The front entrance and back exit door to Amina’s house have anti-burglar doors for security. The internal doors are solid wooden doors. Wardrobes are made of quality wood too to give her house a classic feeling as well as her kitchen cupboards are made of quality wood.
When it comes to painting, the exterior of the houses are painted with a weather guard paint and the walls and ceiling on the inside are well done with Silk vinyl emulsion paint.
Amina’s electrical wiring is concealed and her home’s PVC has isolated copper wires with modular switches. All lights are installed in the house for the comfort of the house owner. The estate has sufficient power outlets and light points and KVA power for each House.
On top of that, her house as well as the entire estate, are secured with CCTV surveillance and 24/7 guard patrol.
“What more can I ask for?” Amina asks.
When she returns in December, Amina will bring her children in the estate and expects to book a shop at the upcoming shopping mall in the estate, where she expects to be working close to her home.
If you want a house from Mirembe Villas like Ms Amina, reach out to:
Telephone: +256 751 735401, +256705332617
Email: info@mirembeestate.co.ug
Facebook: Mirembe Estate-sentema
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
