Judith, a Ugandan nurse living in the UK, had one dream which was to build a modest, comfortable retirement home in Nakawuka, a peaceful space to come home to after years of hard work abroad. She worked overtime, saved every penny she could, and finally began sending money back home to start the construction journey..Like many in the overseas, she sought help from a trusted relative, her brother, who was at the time also constructing his rental units to oversee the construction.
The Trust That Broke
He seemed reliable,” Judith recalls with a heavy sigh. “He’d send me photos, WhatsApp updates, and receipts which reflected that everything was on track,”she added.“
Judith had been impressed by what appeared like progress in the pictures, columns going up, bricks on site and walls taking shape. Two years passed, and she had spent close to 90 million shillings, approximately £20,000.When she finally took time off to visit Uganda, her eyes could hardly believe the difference between the photos and reality on ground.The house had barely progressed past the foundation. The bricks had crumbled from exposure, and the site was swallowed in weeds.The contrast between the photos and reality was staggering.
Family intervention
In a hope to cry for help, she had reached out to family members and called for a meeting requesting the elders in the family to intervene and request her funds be rapid. “I kept asking myself, ‘How could he do this to me? I wasn’t rich, I was just focused!” she exclaimed..Unfortunately the brother then confessed to having used the money to finalize his rental units and that he was hoping he would use the rental income along with other his salary to repay which would require some patience.
Like the saying goes,Once bitten twice shy.
After this ordeal, Judith made a firm decision to never mix family with construction under any circumstances. She hired a registered construction company with a track record and requested for a formal contract with clear deliverables and penalties for delays.
In addition she set up milestone-based payments only paying after progress was verified and hired a local project manager unaffiliated with family, and received regular video updates.
Three years later, her home stands strong,well furnished, paid for, and everything she dreamed of.
Her advice for anyone building while out of the country is, “Never mix family and construction,“Pay professionals. Have contracts. And make sure you’ve got the right eyes on the ground.”
Expert opinion
If you have had the chance to mix family with pleasure, you would truly understand why this kind of situation was inevitable. However, if handled well the family can really be helpful with supervision. The trick is to have a professional contractor preferably a company and your “trusted” family member can assist with supervision.
Share your experience with us!If you have had any trouble building before and have navigated similar experiences, feel free to share with us your story on email: nestuganda@gmail.com so our community can learn from it.For those in need expert advice on a similar issue, NEST Uganda will be offering free consultation to its readers community. To Join our community , subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
