Wakiso, Uganda | URN | The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) expects to hand over the first 350 housing units at its Temangalo housing project in Wakiso District on March 31, 2027, with prospective buyers expected to start booking the houses at the end of this month.
NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota told Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on Wednesday that construction of the first phase was approximately 75 per cent complete, giving the Fund confidence that the units would be ready by the scheduled date.
Ayota, who led the NSSF management team during an interface with the committee as part of its ongoing investigations into the Fund’s investments and operations, said pre-sales would allow interested buyers to reserve houses through initial deposits.
“First phase of Temangalo, I believe, is around 75 percent. Handover is going to be March 31, 2027,” Ayota told the committee.
He clarified that the initial handover would involve 350 housing units, with prospective buyers expected to make down payments and book their preferred houses ahead of completion.
The update came amid concerns from legislators about whether NSSF’s housing investments are addressing the accommodation needs of ordinary Ugandans, including low-income earners who contribute to the retirement savings institution.
During the meeting, MPs challenged the Fund to reconsider its housing development model, arguing that most of its projects appear to target relatively wealthy Ugandans while excluding a significant section of its membership that cannot afford the properties.
Budadiri East MP Julius Nakiyi cited Kenya’s National Social Security Fund housing model, particularly rent-to-own arrangements, which enable prospective homeowners to acquire houses through more flexible payment arrangements.
He urged NSSF to consider similar approaches to expand access to housing and enable more Ugandans to benefit from its property investments. Ayota acknowledged that the Fund had not done enough to address Uganda’s housing affordability challenges, although he said it had attempted to diversify its developments to cater for different income groups.
He cited Lubowa as a project targeting the high-end market, Kyanja as a development intended for middle-income earners and Temangalo as an attempt to provide relatively affordable housing.
However, Ayota said the cost of developing affordable housing in Uganda remained high because private developers have to acquire land, provide supporting infrastructure such as roads and meet tax obligations before constructing houses.
He argued that government intervention was necessary to bring down development costs and make housing affordable to ordinary Ugandans.
Using Kenya as an example, Ayota said government acquisition of large pieces of land, provision of infrastructure and tax incentives to developers had helped reduce overall housing development costs by approximately 40 per cent.
He appealed to Parliament to support a deliberate national housing programme through budgetary allocations and policy interventions that would enable developers, including NSSF, to construct houses at affordable prices.”A private developer in Uganda who has to buy land, put in roads, pay the taxes there and then build the house, it is very difficult to develop and put up a house that most Ugandans will afford,” Ayota said.
He added that although NSSF had made efforts to serve different market segments, many Ugandans remained unable to afford decent accommodation.
The Temangalo update was part of a wider discussion on the progress of NSSF’s property investments, including the NSSF Pension Towers in Nakasero, Kampala.
Ayota told MPs that the handover of the towers remained scheduled for January 31, 2027.
He said the Fund had identified 12 prospective tenants who would be engaged to determine their preferred office-space layouts before occupation.
The COSASE inquiry is examining NSSF’s investment decisions, project implementation, and management of workers’ retirement savings, with MPs seeking assurance that the Fund’s investments generate reasonable returns while delivering benefits to its members.
