Dr Thadeus Musoke’s defeat in the fight to carry the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag for the position of Kampala City Lord Mayor in the coming 2026 general elections has exploded his silent fight with Hajji Issa Ssekitto on who controls traders under their KACITA umbrella
While Musoke is still fighting before counsel John Musiime’s NRM Elections Tribunal, where he is challenging the victory of Fahad Kaweesa, he was impeached by KACITA’s top leadership and replaced with Ssekitto as the interim leader until next year’s general assembly when traders will elect their substantive leaders.
According to Ssekitto, Musoke was impeached because of violating the association laws when he participated in partisan politics without first resigning from the position of KACITA chairperson.
Musoke together with his lawyer David Kintu raided KACITA offices at Royal Complex building, but as soon as he entered his office, he was locked inside.
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He was later saved by police from Kampala Central Police Station who broke the door and found him crying like a baby inside.
Sources close to Ssekitto told this website that their man was very happy seeing Musoke crying publicly. They added that in February 2024, Sekitto warned Musoke that he will make him cry in the public after he also humiliated him in one of their top association leadership meetings.
Sources disclosed that on that day, Ssekitto cried and was very angry with Musoke who clandestinely sidelined him when he was taking a team of traders’ leaders to meet the President in State House Entebbe together with Kampala minister Hajjat Minsa Kabanda to discuss issues concerning Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFERIS)
“They physically fought over that issue and were separated by fellow leaders. Since then, they have been silently fighting each other,” a source said.
He added that because Musoke wanted to remove Ssekitto from the position of KACITA spokesperson, he recommended his name as the representative for the association at Private Sector Foundation and the plan was fused at the last moment when Musoke presented it in a top leadership meeting to be passed.
In the meeting, Ssekitto told Musoke that it was wrong for him to fight him when he was the one who fished him from Metro radio and Beat FM where was presenting business news and convinced other leaders including their fallen chairperson Everest Kayondo to make him their association secretary general since he was very knowledgeable on business issues.
He added that when Kayondo died in 2021, many traders including some leaders wanted Ssekitto to replace Kayondo but he convinced them to make Musoke their interim leader because he was very knowledgeable.
He decided to retain his position as the spokesperson of the association.
This website has establish that as KACITA chairperson, each month, Musoke is paid a salary of Shs1m on top of getting allowances to run KACITA work especially visiting radio and televisions. Whenever he represents the association in different workshops and meetings, all the allowance goes into his pocket including the different deals he seals on behalf of traders.
“Musoke and those people who are claiming to be leaders of traders received a lot of money during Efris debate from Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and from State House. Whenever there are traders’ strikes, some of which are orchestrated by them, just know that they are looking for money from government,” a trader in Kampala said.
He elaborated that when KACITA was established in early 2000, the association helped traders to put government on its knees and Ssekitto was in command. However, since Musoke’s takeover, President Museveni has been very happy with the way Musoke, an NRM cadre has steered the affairs in KACITA.
Sources claim that Musoke is a State Operative who was recruited by Gen Edward Kale Kayihura the former Inspector General of Police to help him get intelligence information from traders who were dealing with opposition, especially Dr Kizza Besigye and Kampala Lord mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago.
Musoke also confirmed that he has always worked for Museveni’s government but only for the good of traders in the country.
However, Musoke told this website that his personal reputation was destroyed by Ssekito and traders no longer want to associate with him because they see him as a State Operative. This is the reason why Sekitto holds some of the sensitive association meetings at Kati Kati Restaurant and in his private office on Aponye Building.
“I have a lot of trust in our patron Godfrey Kirumira. He is out of the country but the good thing is that he is soon coming back and sanity is going to be reinstated so that I’m allowed to complete my term as KACITA chairperson which is ending next year,” Musoke said.
But Ssekito insists that even if Kirumira intervenes, nothing is going to change because they cannot accept to be led by a person who has already declared his political colours even though Sekitto is also accused of being a member of Forum for Democratic Change
Musoke has also dismissed the association leadership which at one time impeached him and appointed new leadership including his personal lawyer Kintu as the association chief legal advisor.
