When Tonny Mugisha steps onto his balcony in Kawuku on Entebbe Road, the morning breeze from Lake Victoria drifts softly across the terrace. The water shimmers below, birds chatter in the trees, and somewhere in the distance, a fisherman’s paddle slaps the lake in rhythm.
‘Every day, this view reminds me that dreams are not accidents. They are built, deliberately, layer by layer,’ he says quietly. That calm confidence was not always there.
A little more than a decade ago, Mugisha and his wife Sheillyn were renting a modest apartment in Kiwatule.
‘We were comfortable,’ he recalls, ‘but when our family grew, two children and a helper, the space began to feel tight. It was not just about walls closing in. It was about wanting something that was ours, a place we could shape.’
The leap
With this desire, the couple took their first leap, from being tenants to becoming first-time homeowners in 2011. He recollects: ‘I told myself, instead of paying rent and getting nothing back, let me start paying toward ownership.’ They found a property in Najeera- a rent-to-own arrangement that seemed perfect on paper.
‘We paid 60 percent down and converted our rent into instalments. For a young family, it felt like a smart start.’ Then came the reality check. ‘The workmanship was terrible,’ he admits. ‘Tiles came off, pipes leaked, and everything that looked shiny turned out fragile.’ They lasted eight months. ‘Sometimes the best decision is knowing when to leave,’ he laughs.
Salvation came unexpectedly through their neighbours who wanted to buy their unit for their relatives so they could live close to each other. ‘We sold, cleared our loan, and even kept a buffer. It felt like a divine reset,’ Mugisha recounts.
They returned to familiar ground, back to Kiwatule, buying an older house that needed work. ‘It was smaller but had good bones. We replaced windows, retiled the kitchen, paved the compound. It became comfortable again,’ Mugisha recounts.
But comfort soon gave way to curiosity.
‘One night I asked my wife, ‘Where would you like us to retire?’ She said, ‘By the lake.’ That sentence changed our direction.’ In 2014, a friend mentioned a lakeside plot for sale in Kawuku.
Mugisha narrates: ‘It was bushland. You could barely see the lake, just a silver line beyond the trees. But it cost Shs21m with flexible terms. We did not hesitate.’
The couple bought it, then slowly expanded. ‘We started clearing the land and designing a home that felt like us,’ he says. ‘Every choice came from observation, things I had learnt from clients and from our own mistakes.’
A future-proof home
He points toward a ground-floor room identical to their master suite upstairs. He explains: ‘We built that with old age in mind. Same view, same comfort without having to climb stairs when we are older. We built our 70s into our 30s.’
Even the layout encourages connection.
‘The dining area is compact so we can talk easily. The kitchen is open; Sheillyn can cook and still be part of the conversation. And during the Covid-19 pandemic, we added my home office inside the bedroom. It was not in the original plan, but life evolves, and homes should evolve too.’
Mugisha credits his wife for the warmth that fills the space. ‘She went the extra mile to make it homely,’ he says with a smile. ‘I handled the structure; she handled the soul.’
Every phase of their home journey, Mugisha says, reinforced lessons he now shares with clients.
‘The first is start early. People think retirement planning begins at 50, but it starts the day you earn your first salary.’ He leans back thoughtfully. ‘Retirement is not an age. It is the ability to live the lifestyle you desire without needing to work. For some, that is a farm; for others, it is travel or community work. What matters is maintaining the life you love, even when you are not earning.’
His second lesson: Build for purpose, not perception. ‘Many people build to impress,’ he says, ‘but big homes become burdens. Build what you can fully optimise. The house that suits your 30s may overwhelm you at 80.’
And the third: Seek professionals. He adds: ‘We are financial planners, not architects or landscapers. In every space, hire experts and pay their fees. It saves you money, frustration, and time.’
Finishing
The walls are painted in calm tones, punctuated by greenery Sheillyn nurtures. The couple love hearing the birds in the morning, which complements the fact that peace is a form of wealth. Just behind their home, the Mugishas own two acres stretching to the lake.
‘That is our next project,’ Mugisha says. ‘We plan to build a boutique hotel, 25 to 30 rooms, with a restaurant, fireplace, and forested surroundings.’
He sees it not merely as business, but as an extension of their lifestyle. ‘It will keep us active,’ he explains. ‘One of the biggest challenges I have seen with retirees is loneliness, nothing to do, no one to talk to. With our hotel, we’ll meet new people every day, share stories, stay curious. It will give us purpose.’
That sense of purpose threads through everything he says.
‘In our line of work, the older you get, the finer you become. Experience refines you. So, as we continue serving families financially, this place will also serve us, as work, home, and sanctuary,’ he reflects.
Valuable
Having witnessed hundreds of property decisions through clients, Mugisha is convinced that clarity is the most valuable currency in real estate.
‘I have seen people buy because everyone else is buying. Others build to prove a point. But value isn’t in the bricks, it is in how the space fits your story.’
He recounts helping three clients redevelop a project. ‘Seeing it evolve from bare ground to a thriving mix of businesses taught me that preparation is everything,’ he says.
‘It is the same with personal planning. You don’t have to start big, start right.’
That principle, he insists, applies equally to homes and finances. He says: ‘Begin with awareness. You do not have to invest immediately. Just know the gaps. Once you identify them, you’ll prepare better and act wisely.’
Throughout their journey, partnership has been the secret ingredient. ‘We have done everything together,’ Mugisha says of his wife. ‘From choosing tiles to setting financial goals, we make decisions as a team. She is my business and life partner.’
Their children have grown up watching the house rise, first from sketches, then foundations, then walls.
‘They have seen the process of patience,’ he says proudly. ‘That is the head start we want them to have, not money, but mindset.’
He grows reflective. ‘Not all of us were given perfect beginnings,’ he says softly. ‘But that is no excuse not to give the next generation a better one. We owe it to them to prepare — to create stability, not just for our own children, but for whoever joins our family later. You never know who your in-law will be, but you hope they meet a prepared home.’
As the sun sinks behind the lake, Mugisha watches the water glow gold. ‘If there is one thing I have learnt,’ he says, ‘it is that every phase of life needs design. Just like a house, it must evolve, but with intention.’
He gestures toward the trees.
‘When we first came here, this was wild bush. Today, there is a forest growing, birds returning, our children playing. It is the same in planning – small, consistent steps transform everything.’
He smiles, his tone equal parts gratitude and quiet triumph. ‘This home is not just where we live,’ he says. ‘It is our philosophy in brick and mortar. It is proof that planning works, that love guided by purpose builds beauty, and that every dream, no matter how modest, can find its address.’
The blueprint
For Mugisha, planning the Kawuku home was as much a financial exercise as an emotional one. ‘You cannot build without a plan, and you cannot plan without knowing yourself,’ he explains.
‘We listed what we needed; comfort, connection, a lake view, fewer stairs. Then the architect translated it into a home.’ They drew four different blueprints before settling on one. ‘We kept refining. Even small details, the size of windows, door placement, lighting. Every choice mattered,’ he says.
The result is a house that breathes intention. Sunlight pours through large panes of glass. A breeze from the lake curls through the living room.