Homeownership is one of the most fulfilling achievements, given the comfort and peace of mind it brings.

However, the process has not been easy for many homeowners primarily due to cost. When Yassin Makolo wanted to construct a house for his parents five years ago, he didn’t know how to go about it due to cost.

Upon consulting his local fundi, he was advised that Sh250,000 would be enough for the entire construction.

Determined to see his parents leave rentals for a more comfortable house, Makolo went ahead to take a bank loan of Sh250,000 little did he know the entire amount would be used up in the foundation stage.

“I was mistaken as the entire Sh250,000 was used up in the foundation stage, and I had to start from scratch. I started through saving in chamas because I could not afford to take any more bank loans,” he told Tuko.

After running out of funds, Makolo had to look for ways to raise money to complete the stalled structure, forcing him to sell his motorbike.

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He further developed a saving culture where he managed to raise Sh100,00 at the end of 2021, which he used to purchase construction materials.

“I owned a motorbike that I had to sell to purchase cement. This helped me raise the building to nearly halfway. I was funding the entire project by myself, so it stopped when I ran out of funds again. This was in 2021,” he added.

His dream to own a house further dampened in 2022 when he moved from Mombasa to Nairobi. Makolo revealed that he had little to save for the project due to the costly living in Nairobi.

It was not long before his salary was doubled enabling him to purchase more construction materials hoping to complete the structure which still remains incomplete years later.

“Luckily, later that year, I got a bonus at work, where my salary was doubled. This enabled me to buy more building materials. Unfortunately, my fundi wasted this money and even stole from me,” he stated.

He plans to save more this year to do roofing so that his parents can move in, and do the finishing when it is already occupied.

If Yassin had to start the building process again, he said he would not take a bank loan to construct the house.

“I would use my savings instead. Taking a bank loan to build was not such a good idea. Secondly, I would seek professional fundis who know their craft. Using local fundi has seen me lose lots of money that would have been put into the project,” he added.