Hajji Issa Ssekito the interim chairperson of Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) is struggling to convince fellow leaders that he was not bribed to cancel traders strike without consulting them.
After learning that his vice chairperson Edward Goloba commonly known as Eddy Dollar and other KACITA top leaders was preparing to resign, Ssekito summoned an emergency meeting at their offices in Kampala on Monday but was shocked when a number of them including Goloba declined to attend.
In one of the meetings with traders, Goloba told them that when they were planning to announce a strike, they consulted all stakeholders and they all approved it because they were going through a lot including being harassed by landlords which has led to them operating in a stress environment and the floods which resulted from businessman Hamis Kiggundu who blocked Nakivubo drainage channel while building on top of it.
A big number of the traders responded to the decision to close their shops but others were arrested, charged and imprisoned for trying to force fellow traders who opened their shops to close them.
More Read
Ssekito was among those arrested but he was released on police bond and immediately after his release, he released a press statement calling off the strike.
When he was placed on the wall to explain, he only told them that he had no option apart from doing what he did.
Speaking to other leaders, Goloba disclosed that the traders accused him of conniving with Ssekito to sell their struggle to government after they were compromised to tell traders to cancel the strike. They added that money also exchanged hands in the process.
Goloba added that he cannot accept his name to be dragged into scandals he doesn’t understand.
He added that he joined Ssekito to fight for the wellbeing of traders without knowing that people are using KACITA leadership positions to enrich themselves.
Federation of Uganda Traders Associations (FUTA) president John Kabanda revealed that leading traders in Kampala is not easy because whatever the leaders execute for the betterment of traders welfares, many think they are bribed.
“I remember when I was challenging the strike announced by Ssekito, that Goloba branded me a mafia and a lumpen saying I don’t understand leadership. I’m happy that he is facing the same situation we have been going through for years. Traders are not easy people to lead,” Kabanda said.
He added that when Kiggundu started building atop Nakivubo channel, he was among the first people to challenge him but because some traders had already paid for some of the shops which are being constructed on the channel, he was forced to support the businessman.
When floods attacked them, they turned against him accusing him of being a bad leader who is supporting their tormentor.
However, Ono Bwino understands that Ssekito faced a hard time to secure police bond and was given tough conditions including cancelling the strike to survive imprisonment.
This website understands that before the end of this week, there is another meeting which Ssekito has summoned to explain to fellow leaders further why he canceled the strike.
