Former DP President Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere is dead.
The longest serving Democratic Party president has passed away at the age of 90 years.
Ssemogerere led the Democratic Party in the highly contested 1980 general election which was won by Ugandan president Milton Obote’s UPC party.
Ssemogerere and DP stalwarts disputed the result.
The disagreement triggered a civil war in Uganda during which various political actors, including then Minister Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took to the bush to overthrow the Obote government.
Museveni founded the PRA (People’s Resistance Army) which would later morph into the NRA (National Resistance Army) for this purpose.
Others who opposed the result included breakaway DP party member Andrew Kayiira who led his UFM (Uganda Freedom Movement) in a similar struggle.
Ssemogerere was reportedly against an armed resistance to the “theft” of his victory.
A lifelong believer in democracy and dialogue, Ssemogerere repeatedly expressed concern that a war would cost lives and not really resolve the misunderstandings that plagued the political class at the time.
Dr. Paul was born on 11th February 1932, at Bumangi, Buggala Island, in the Ssese and he was baptized on 18th February of the same year.
