In Uganda, limited availability of building materials, rapid population growth and limited household incomes cast a serious challenge to low-income earners’ access to decent shelter. The supply of decent shelter is hampered, among others, by constrained access to appropriate and affordable building materials and designs, security of land tenure, inappropriate building by-laws, standards and regulations. In examining problems of low cost housing in Uganda, the study focuses on the use of local building materials’ potential to improve low-income earners’ access to decent shelter.

The study is based on primary and secondary data from around the country, literature and archival reports, and interviews of key personnel in the building sector. The study concludes with the view that local materials have potential to positively contribute to improving access to decent housing by low income earners. It observes that demand for housing cannot be met by solely using imported materials. On the other hand, results indicate that most local building materials are of poor quality. The study advocates improving the quality of local materials and their standardization as a way of improving their potential use in the development of housing in the country. It also recommends sustainable exploitation and commercialization of the production of the materials as a way of attaining affordable decent shelter.