The deeper you squeeze into the war-recovering northern region of Uganda, the beautifully artistic circular mud and wattle houses stand out.
The houses are part of the historical architecture of Ugandan and African communities. However, while they are fading away and being replaced by modern brick and corrugated iron-roof structures, people in the northern region have held onto them.
Contrary to the popular association of the housing units to poverty, northers look to mud and wattle houses for cultural preservation and natural heatwave insulation.
In Pece, just two kilometers from the northern city of Gulu, multiple huts sit in 52-year-old Rose Achiro’s compound. Each of these units houses different members according to family hierarchy.
In the Acholi culture, when a child comes of age, they are required to live separately from their parents. This means that each child would construct a house.
“Grass-thatched houses are a crucial part of us,” says Hellen Ojara, a cultural leader in Gulu. “From a material point of view, earth is very sustainable. It’s free of charge. No cost at all.”
At Achiro’s compound, it’s a requirement that houses are refurbished at least twice every year. They use a combination of dung, ash, and a special type of earth to case the walls, serving it beauty and strength.
“When you mix cow dung and ash it creates a paste that prevents dust from rising up for close to two weeks. It looks as though the floor has been cemented.” Achiro praises
Construction of a mud wattle house requires division of labor.
When 16-year-old Morris Asaba, a grandson to Achiro clocked 13, duty rained on him. His sister went on a hunt for grass, while he created bricks out of mud.
The job was to build Morris his first hut, where he would live with his sister. When construction was done, the sister then embarked on designing his house to make it beautiful with pieces of art.
“She used burnt bricks to create the orange color that you see on the house, then the ash made the white designs. She also regularly comes by to carpet my house with cow dung” explains Asaba outside his hut in Owoo village just a few kilometres from Gulu town.
Asaba hut meant that he had a primary function of offering protection to his young sister.
The semi-arid northern region experiences extreme drought and severe heatwaves. During the dry season, temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), making it a challenging environment for those who work outside or live in poorly ventilated houses.
According to a 2018 report by the Ugandan Ministry of Health, heat waves in Northern Uganda have been associated with an increase in cases of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, particularly among vulnerable populations such as the elderly, young children, and people with pre-existing health conditions.
The modern housing infrastructure in the area is generally not well-equipped to combat the impact of heatwaves, and in many cases, can exacerbate the effects of high temperatures.
The Northern region is rising significantly from the rubble of the more than 20 years of war into a regional commercial hub. Gulu City has experienced significant growth in its population from 38,297 in 1991 to 119,430 in 2002 to 325,600 in 2022.
All this culminates in the pressure of housing for housing and settlement. However, modern architecture in the region has failed to cope with the heating levels.
According to Chris Docho an architectural engineer in the bustling city of Gulu, the traditional houses are a natural insulator to the raging temperatures.
“Our houses are designed to provide natural insulation, keeping the interior of the house cool even during the hottest part of the day. This can help to reduce the need for energy-intensive cooling systems and improve indoor comfort levels” Docho says .
He emphasizes that there is a need to fuse traditional and modern architecture to meet the housing needs.
