Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda.

The Prime Minister, Rt.Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda, on Monday launched the Uganda National Housing Policy which replaces the National Shelter Strategy which was adopted in 1992 as a policy framework to guide housing development in the country.

The national housing policy is intended to address various critical issues and challenges facing the housing sector which include, inadequate housing and housing backlog arising from the fast ever growing population in the country.

Speaking at the launch of the policy, Rugunda said it’s a petty for national housing to be putting a minimal number of houses in the country yet it’s the leading national constructor. He urged them to up their game to be able to meet the national expectations in setting up thousands of houses especially to benefit the poor and reduce on the deficit housing in the country.

Rugunda said government is aware of the importance of housing to national development and that it was ready to support the policy fully.

He further called for planned and organized ways of building houses across the country as this will also move a long way to solving the issues of growing slums especially in cities.

The Minister for Urban Development, Hon. Isaac Musumba and the junior minister for housing, Chris Baryomunsi, noted that there are a number of strategies in the pipeline laid by government to solve some of the tough processes faced by Ugandans who intend to start house construction.

They mentioned them to include; setting up incentives for companies that manufacture construction materials among others strategies coupled with a number of new policies and laws to govern the sector so as to make it more active.