Primary six pupil builds storeyed house in Kabale

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KABALE - A ‘storeyed house’ sits in Wenceslas Habomugisha and Sheila Tusasibwe’s compound in Shororo village, Kabale district.

The creativity and architectural details that embellish the structure are admirable.

Forget that it’s a small house built with soil and other improvised materials. The extra details make it look like a palatial home.

This is the work of 14-year-old Micheal Asinguza, a primary six pupil at Rwene Primary School in Kabale district.

Asinguza enjoys moulding things out of the soil. Whatever he admires, he goes back home and makes it.

The ‘storeyed house’, built by 14-year-old son, Micheal Asinguza, a primary six pupil at Rwene Primary School in Kabale district, also has a fence. (Credit: Ritah Mukasa)

“I look out for nice pictures in books. I draw the plan and build the house with my hands,” he says.

On how he conceived the idea of building a storyed house Asinguza says, he once visited Buranga village and saw a nice storied house. When he reached home, he drew it on a paper. 

Thereafter, he cleared a small corner of his father’s compound, dug out the soil and collected it into a heap. He fetched water and mixed the soil.

The following week, he dug the foundation, created pillars using hard sticks and built a solid foundation.

From that, he built the walls, leaving space for doors and windows. After, he laid hard sticks and polythene bags on top of the first floor. The sticks worked as iron bars and timber to hold the second floor.

The 14-year-old made a plan before construction his ‘storeyed house’.(Credit: Ritah Mukasa)

He also added pillars and built the walls, leaving space for doors and windows. Asinguza used polythene bags, hard sticks and soil to roof the house after which he curved out designs to mimic roofing tiles.

He also cut old iron sheets, made doors and windows, did finishing on the walls while adding decorations. After, he built the fence.

“I did not spend any money because materials were free and I built it all by myself in three months. I would build in the evening after school, three days a week,” he says.

On the challenges he faced, Asinguza says, at first, children kept destroying his structure until he used his parents’ dog to scare them off.  But also, the rain disturbed him and some people discouraged him that he was wasting time.

“I am very happy.  I feel I can now achieve my dream of being a civil engineer. I only need a mentor to guide me,” he says.