Kaddu: Listening to coaches has worked miracles for me

Kaddu (C) has scored 12 goals for KCCA this season. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO

What you need to know:

Kaddu at a glance
Name: Patrick Henry Kaddu
Age: 23
Date of Birth: 09/10/1995
Schools attended: St James- bina Primary School, Answar Moslems School, Abubakar Swidiq college school, Mpigi Right College
Youth teams
Destiny Soccer Academy
Butabika Soccer Academy
Luzira United
Kyebando FC (formerly Hurts FC)
Senior teams
2012-2013: Maroons
2014-2015: Kira Young
2016-2017:
Maroons FC
2017- present: KCCA
Goals scored this season
Star Times Uganda Premier League: 9
Caf Confederation Cup: 2
Uganda Cup: 1

KAMPALA. Had 23-year-old Patrick Kaddu listened to his young, inner thoughts of leaving football, his childhood dream of playing for KCCA and the national team - the Cranes - would never have sufficed today.

Kaddu knew it was football for him at a young age but started chasing his passion more seriously when he joined Maroons in 2012.
“I grew up loving football. I used to admire Brian Umony (currently at Express) and Geoffrey Sserunkuma (Buildcon Zambia),” explained Kaddu.

“Those two were my best strikers in Uganda.” The soft-spoken yet assured striker was gathered and measured in his blue and white sportswear.

Kaddu narrated how he walked into Maroons at the age of 17 ready to flourish under the guidance of coach Asaph Mwebaze.

He was very obsessed with the game but functionally illiterate on it. His dream was to be a regular starter at Maroons immediately.

But his coach Mwebaze back then knew that Kaddu was not ready enough to be in his starting team.
“At one point, I felt like giving up,” said Kaddu, “Life both on the pitch and outside had become worse.
“I was tired of being among the substitutes by the time I joined Maroons.
“Yes, the team had senior players like George Abege but I wanted to be a regular starter by the time I joined them,” added the son to Hadijja Nakitende and Efusa Nsubuga from Luwero District.

Maybe, he was crazy to think that he could just walk to stardom instantly. Who knows?

But today, he can sit somewhere and realize how costly it would have been for him and his family had he listened to his quick fix thoughts.

Kaddu, whom you used to know at Destiny Soccer Academy bare-footed at the pitch and in the slums of Luzira, Kampala has become an instrumental player both at his current club KCCA and the national team - Uganda Cranes.

He boasts of 29 goals scored so far at KCCA since joining them in 2017.

This season alone, the former Luzira United talisman Kaddu has scored nine goals so far in the on-going Star Times Uganda Premier League, two more in the Caf Confederation Cup and another solitary strike in Uganda Cup.

He hopes to exceed the 17 goals he scored for KCCA last season in all the competitions.
“I think discipline, hard work, patience and listening to my coaches as well as respecting my senior players at KCCA, has made me who I am today.”

Kaddu saw his mother Nakitende, currently in Luzira, sell whatever she could land her hands on to raise school fees for him both in primary and secondary.

He attended St James Bina Primary School, Answar Moslem, Abubakar Swidiq College and Mpigi Right College where he sat his A’ Level in 2012.

“Besides coach Mwebaze and Swaleh Mugisha who used to solicit my school fees from area counsellors in Luzira, another hero of my life is my mother,” he said.
“I and my mother we have endured a lot. Waking up without what to eat, no school fees yet I had to study all reminds me of a lot. She is a strong woman, and I hope through football I’ll pay her back for her sacrifices,” explained a teary Kaddu.

He has not only shone at KCCA, Kaddu is now a cult hero at Uganda Cranes.

He announced himself properly in national colours last November when he scored Cranes’ only goal against Cape Verde at Mandela National Stadium Namboole for Uganda to qualify for the 2019 Nations Cup finals with a game to spare.

At StarTimes Stadium Lugogo, where we met on Monday for this interview, you could see that at least every player accords Kaddu the respect he deserves.
The visitors and workers at the pitch often interrupted the interview to just greet the player.

Good time manager
Before, he was stretching with his colleagues Saddam Juma and Jackson Nunda. But after noticing that it had clocked 12:30pm, time for this interview, Kaddu excused himself from them to join this writer.

He is a good time keeper, articulate in his submissions, and altogether a good record keeper.

He says, his life as a player at KCCA under coach Mike Mutebi has changed. He totally thinks about nothing but football because it’s the only basket where he earns a living.
“To me, football is business. I might be at KCCA today, but it doesn’t mean I will be here forever. I have my own dreams like I have told you but I am happy with the environment at KCCA now,” said Kaddu whose three-year contract expires next year.

According to his childhood coach Mwebaze, Kaddu’s rise to stardom is not a surprise to him. He knew, believed that one day it will happen that’s why he brought him at Maroons.

“To have a good striker means a lot. You need to do a lot of training especially here in Uganda.

Kaddu is shining today because he has had enough training but he still needs more,” said Mwebaze.

By the time Mwebaze, 45, recruited Kaddu in 2012, they had a goals machine in George Abege. Kaddu left them in 2014 but later returned in 2016/2017 Fufa Big League season where he emerged top scorer with 16 goals.
“By the way, he joined us when he was a raw kid, so desperate to impress but it wasn’t his time,” explained Mwebaze.
“He had to go through some processes which I think after passing through them he has been able to realise the outcome.”