Who is Robert Ssekidde? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, achievements, and relationship with Bazilio Okello, Brigadier George William Nyero Marafuku, Ogenga Otunnu and the early life and education of the founder and Managing Director of Seroma Investments Limited.
Robert Ssekidde also addressed as Lt. Col. Robert Ssekidde is a Ugandan businessman, pastor and military personnel.
He is the founder and Managing Director of Seroma Investments Limited. Seroma is part of the Home Improvement & Hardware Retail industry located in Uganda.
Robert is also a former member of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA).
Early Life and Education
Robert Ssekidde was born in Uganda.
He got married to Margret Ssekidde in 1991.
He is a father of seven biological children and many spiritual children including Cynthia Nakiranda the Youthful Fashionpreneur.
Robert Ssekidde is also a staunch Christian.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Major Robert Ssekidde is a former officer of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) which was formed around 1962 and was the backbone of former President Milton Obote’s second regime from 1980 to 1985 as well as a member of the UPC.
Lt. Col. Robert Ssekidde founded Seroma Investments Limited in 1991.
Together with his wife, they built the Seroma Group of enterprises which includes Seroma Hardware, the biggest hardware dealership in the country and Seroma Christian High Schools in Mukono and Buikwe.
Lt. Col Robert is responsible for important company decisions in addition to overseeing general operations and resources.
Achievements and Awards
Robert Ssekidde is a council member of Nkumba University.
In June 2020, Canon Robert Ssekidde together with his wife Dr Margret, received a Business Impact Award at the 2020 Vine Awards.
Controversies
Major Ssekidde was allegedly all that stood between President Obote and a second exile in the fourth week of July 1985. Perhaps if he had done his work, he could have delayed the coup of the Okellos and given Obote a breather for a few more months or prevented the Okellos from overthrowing the government.
On July 22, 1985. While they waited for the group from Gulu to give them permission to proceed to Kamdini, Bazilio Okello’s militia from Labwordwong marched into Lira and caused chaos in the town.
Obote hoped that if the coup plotters tried to come through the eastern route, Brigadier George William Nyero Marafuku, the Eastern Brigade Commander, who was committed to Obote, would put them off and potentially enable the president to sort out the rebellion that had been set off by events in Fort Portal and Kampala.
Ssekidde was tasked with stopping them at the Karuma Bridge and “holding that bridge to the last man.”
A unit was sent by Major Ssekidde to support those at Karuma Bridge. Ssekidde, however, was in charge of a group that was primarily made up of Acholi officers and soldiers.
Ssekidde was informed that his warriors had declined to take against the large force arriving from Gulu on July 25, 1985, when he was reportedly making some desperate attempts to drive the Okellos from Karuma.
They arrived at Masindi Barracks in a single, massive caravan, and Lt. Peter Olaa, the Second-in-Command who had ‘deposed’ Ssekidde and let him flee toward Kampala, welcomed them.
On July 26, 1985, the massive convoy departed Masindi towards Kampala while the bewildered throng on the Masindi-Kirasa road watched, blowing horns, playing the flute, and shouting war songs. The unit in Nakasongola, led by another commander sympathetic to the coup plotters, just let the convoy pass through along the way.
The coup was revealed the following day, and Obote had left. Naturally, Ogenga Otunnu rose to prominence in the Military Council government, while another Otunnu was appointed foreign minister and Prof. Amii Omara Otunnu was appointed Bazilio’s advisor.
As the last line of defence between his commander-in-chief and the coup plotters, Major Ssekidde likewise escaped to Kampala. Little is known about him, and it is unclear whether he ever switched sides.
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