Trending: Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere dies at 90 years

About Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, the former leader of the Democratic Party, passed away today at the age of 90, according to Kampala, Uganda’s THE INDEPENDENT. (Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere dies at 90 years)

Dr. Ssemogerere, who twice ran for president and oversaw DP for more than 25 years, passed away early on Friday morning at his residence in Rubaga, a close family member has confirmed to URN.

In the contentious 1980 election, he ran for President of the DP against Dr. Apollo Milton Obote of the UPC.

He later rose to the position of Minister in President Yoweri Museveni’s NRM administration before resigning and running against the president in 1996.

Biography of Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere

Dr. Ssemogerere was christened on February 18 of the same year after being born on February 11 in Bumangi, Buggala Island, in the Ssese.

His formal schooling began in 1940 at St. John’s Boys Boarding Primary School. Prior to its dissolution, he later joined the Primary Section of St. Henry’s College Kitovu. After that, Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere transferred to Kisubi Boys, where he earned his primary school diploma in 1946.

Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere enrolled in the St. Mary’s College KisubiJunior Secondary One program in 1947. In 1950, he was accepted into Senior Secondary One after receiving his SecondaryLeaving Certificate in 1949. In 1952, he received his Cambridge OverseasSchool Certificate.

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Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere attended St. Mary’s College Kisubi before enrolling at Makerere College, which later became the University College of East Africa, back when it was still a member of the University of London. He completed an intermediate course, which is a higher school diploma equivalent, and then enrolled in the faculty of education to earn a diploma in education (Dip. Ed. EA; 1959) Even though he was active in politics, Ssemogerere continued his academic career, and by 1979, he had earned a PhD in Public Administration from a New York University.

Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemwogere time in DP

He assumed control of the DP in 1972, when political parties were outlawed by the military administration, and formally assumed the position of president general in 1979, following the overthrow of Idi Amin. Ssemogerere ran for president in the controversial election that sparked the Luwero bush war in December 1980 because many people thought he had been wrongfully denied victory. However, he chose to head the opposition in Parliament rather than take part in the armed uprising.

Ssemogerere served as a minister in the succeeding administrations after the fall of the Obote 2 government until 1995, when he resigned in order to run for president in the 1996 elections, which Yoweri Museveni won.

Political timeline

1961–62 Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister Benedicto Kiwanuka
1963–69 Publicity Secretary Democratic Party
1979–81 Member National Consultative Council
1981–85 Leader of the Official Opposition
1984–94 Vice President Christian Democratic International
1985–88 Minister of Internal Affairs
1988–90 Chair OAU Council of Ministers
1988–94 Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Regional Affairs
1994–95 Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Service
1999 Brought the first of 5 landmark cases that outlawed the Movement System and set stage for return of Political Parties to Uganda.
2005 Retired as DP President to private business.
2011 Honored as Sabasaba 2011 by Sabasaba Flame Award, for being an all time pro-Democracy and peace politician
2020 he organised a coalition of opposing parties to come together