The Vice President Prof. Gilbert Bukenya has said that decent homes contribute to the longevity of the people and relaxes their brains and prepares other body parts to work better through agriculture and other economic activities towards self sustenance.

Prof. Bukenya made the remarks during the commissioning of a low cost house that was built for Mzee Nalumansi Maria of Luwunga Bugwanya village in Kakiri Subcounty in Wakiso district courtesy of his lobbying from foreign friends to help poor Ugandans to access better and hygienic housing structures.
 
The house was built from funds raised by Laura Lynn Thompson a Canadian from Vancouver who was touched by Prof. Bukenya’s lecture he presented a paper in the country in November 2009.
 
Laura Thompson is a Ugandan born whose parents were expelled from the country by Idd Amin in 1973. She is a reknown television telecaster working for a number of media organisations in Canada and the United States of America.
In this Project, Laura was assisted by many Canadian friends among them was Ruth Moody who is her family friend. Ruth Moody lost her husband recently to cancer. She was left trying to find her new reality in the world and where she fits in without her adventurous husband, Doug. She accompanied Laura to Uganda and also covered her airfare and hotels in Uganda as a support to the project.

The 6500 dollar house given to Mzee Nalumansi is a three roomed house with a 10000 water tank, a VIP latrine, a kitchen, and has also been equipped with a solar panel to lighting during the night. The funds organized by Laura Lynn also equipped the home with all home needs from sofa sets, cutlery, utensils, mattresses, beds, blankets, a radio among other to ease the life of the Nalumansi who has formerly lived in an over 100 year old house that was leaking and on the verge of collapse built by her late father Lubwama Lutalo Lawrence.  

The Vice President said that low cost housing programme that he has championed among foreign friends will benefit all Ugandans and added that the next beneficiaries will come from Acholi, Lango and Karamoja regions whose housing structures are appalling and disease prone.

He added that foreign nationals like Laura and Moody pool funds among themselves and physically come to the country and supervise the construction of the houses for transparency and accountability after accessing the selected beneficiaries by local leaders like the case has been for Nalumansi.

Prof. Bukenya said Nalumansi was selected because she is a hard working elderly woman who has a plantation of bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava and some coffee trees from which she has managed to look after her self and her grandchildren one of whom is now pursuing a University Degree at Makerere University.

Mzee Nalumansi, 61, said her former mud and bamboo house has accommodated three generations of her kin and was accommodating six occupants four of whom are her grandchildren.

She commended Prof. Bukenya for giving her new hope to lead a comfortable life with her grandchildren by having friends who believe in his ability and hard work.

Kabuye John Baptist, LC3 Councilor for Luwunga commended the Vice President for being a leader who sources for social amenities for all Ugandans irrespective of tribe or other differences. He said that such concern will propel his political career in the country and added that his area is blessed to have him as their leader given his contribution to education, health and poverty campaigns in the area.

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