Hon Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere he was born on 11th Febuary 1932 in Bumangi at Bumangi Catholic Mission in  Ssese Islands (Kalangala District) to Joseph Bagenda Kapeere a fisher man  and Maria Lwiza Namwendero a home maker.He was the last born of all eight children now all deceased. His was a partial breech birth; the Catholic Parish  Priest Pere Becce helped deliver him.That began his association with the Catholic Church.

In 1933 his Father was afflicted with a terminal illness and treated at Kisubi Mission Hospital Unfortunately he passed a way in August 1933and he was burried on the Feast of Assumption at Bumangi Mission Cementery.Their Mother Maria Lwiza Namwendero made a decision to return to the Catholic White Sisters in Kisubi and ask for work as a domestic cook to take care of her young children.

The White Sisters asked her to bring her entire family.The eldest son Philip who was in his early teen years  completed vernacular education at St. John’s Kisubi Boys,which Ssemogerere later joined to assist his Mother,Philip was trained as a medical orderly and quickly rose in ranks at the hospital.He and his Sister Theresa Nabatanzi(later Mrs Mpinga) joined the mission schools at St. Theresa and St. John’s.

He later completed his Primary Education at St. Henry’s Kitovu and joined St. Mary’s College Kisubi in 1946.He was a Leader, member of several associations and participated in various sports during his School days when he was at St. Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) He was a cadet, Head prefect,President of debating Society,President of Literary and Dramatic club,he was the captain of tennis and boxing clubs and National boxing champion featherweight division.In 1952,he completed the Cambridge Intermediate Examinations and he was admitted to Makerere University where he joined the Local Student’s Union.

In 1954,he was elected Vice President Of Makerere University Student’s Guild,at Makerere he was President of Uganda Students and Baana ba Buganda,Vice President of the Catholic Students Associations, a member of Makerere World Service Committee (WUS),Captain of University Tennis Club  and President of Games Union ,so he likes sports and associations.

At Makerere University he graduated with a Diploma in Education (E.A) as a Biology and Chemistry Teacher .While at Makerere University,he participated in the US student exchange programme at Allegheny,Midville,pa (1957-1958).

He went to USA again in 1973 and in 1974,he earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration at Syracuse University,New York. Syracuse was ranked no. 1 in excellency among the top 20 Universities offering Public Administration in the USA by US News and World Report of the 20th  March 1995).

In 1989 he was Awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Humane Letters in recognition of his life long commitment to Human rights and Problems ,World wide.

 His teaching career took him to several Schools as Teacher and Headmaster.Just to mention a few he taught at Lubaga Boys Junior Secondary School and at Uganda Government Farm Institute Bukalasa (Luweero District) in Zoology section as a relief teacher.

He also taught at Namilyango College where two of his  best students were Aloysious Njala later a Director in Bank of Uganda and Justice Francis Ssekandi ,St Mary’s College Yala,in Kenya, St. Leo’s College Kyegobe Fort Portal and St Mary Goretti Secondary School, Katende where he was Headmaster.

At St. Leo’s Kyegobe he lived in Mpanga Estate on the outskirts of Fort Portal.In 1959 Ben Kiwanuka with whom he had first made aquaintance as  Vice President of Students Guild visited him in Kyegobe where he spent a night. Ssemogerere asked him if he had come to recruit him in the fight for Independence.

 At the age  of 27,with a comfortable job,salary and benefits ,he resigned from the teaching service and joined him as his Political Assistant/aide and trusted confidante. Ben Kiwanuka a barrister had just been elected President of Democratic Party (DP)in 1958,the third party President General after Joseph Kasolo and Mataayo Mugwanya.The new DP quickly gained a national outlook and its first members were elected to the Legislative Council (Legco) in 1958,including Prof Yusuf Lule who later on turned to be President of Uganda and Sarah Ntinderwoha(Ntiiro).

In 1961 Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere ran as the DP Candidate in North Mengo (part of Bulemeezi County) Greater Luweero where he was elected.

He travelled with Ben Kiwanuka a cross the Country and Internationally. DP’s stay in Government was short- lived as DP on account of the positions it took at Lancaster Conference lost to UPC-KY(Kabaka Yekka) Alliance in the May 1962 elections.Ssemogerere became the DP Publicity Secretary from 1962-1969 when political parties where banned and together with  Ben Kiwanuka they were arrested and detained without trial under the Public Order and Security Act,1967.

In 1971,he was released with other Political Prisoners and rejoined Ben Kiwanuka in his private political office which he ran out of his Law Chambers,Ben Kiwanuka & Co Advocates.In September 1971,Ben Kiwanuka was appointed Solicitor General and early in 1972 Chief Justice.Tragically Ben Kiwanuka was abducted from his Chambers in september never to be seen alive to this day.In one of the few joyous moments in recent years he was a live to celebrate the first four iteractions of the Ben Kiwanuka Day,his mentor by the Judiciary of Uganda initiated  by former Chief Justice Bart Katureebe.After a staged Car accident in 1972,Paul Ssemogerere escaped as a serviceman aboard a railway freight car,he was disguised by a friend and later Editor of the Citzen Mr. Kyeyune crossed into Kenya and was admitted as a refugee in Baltimore in 1972.

He quickly reconnected with his former Professors at Allegheny,Prof. Giles and Prof.  Merrick. They hired him part time as a tutor and  encouraged him enroll in school again.In 1973 he joined the Maxwell School of Citzenship and Public Affairs Syracuse.in the same year in Washington DC  he met his now widow Prof. Germina Namatovu Ssemogerere who was a tutor at St. Mary’s College Marymount in Maryland.Germina Namatovu had begun her  graduate studies in Economics at  Duke University in North Carolina.

On 14th day of May 1974,they were married by Msgr . Stephen Mukasa, later Vicar General Kampala Archdiocese and shuttled between Syracuse Newyork where Paul Ssemogerere attended his studies and North Carolina.After 1975, the struggle to remove Idi Amin from power gained steam.

 He joined hands with other Ugandans to meet about the future of Uganda.Msgr. Mukasa(s),both Stephen and Alex were also instrumental in this effort.

They also supported the Airlift of many Ugandans to safety from the excesses of Idi Amin regime. In 1978, he attended the Moshi Conference.

In 1979 he returned to Uganda where he has  lived full time until his death.In 1979 he became member of the National Consultative Council which functioned as the legislative arm of the Uganda National Liberation Front(UNLF).In 1979,President Prof. Yusuf Kironde Lule was removed from office by a vote of NCC. Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere brought the first of what would be many land mark Constitution petitions challenging removal of Yusuf Lule from office.Three Justices of  the Court of Appeal sitting as the Constitutional Court agreed with him,in the landmark decision  Andrew Kayira & Paul Ssemogerere Vs  Attorney General Constitutional petition No. 1 of 1980.

The head of coram Wambuzi CJ was forced to leave Uganda only returning in 1986.In May 1980,he was elected President General of the Democratic Party .

In December  DP was widely believed to have won the general election  and the Secretary of the Electoral Commission Vincent Ssekkono called him to Congratulate him before the Chairman of the Military Commission  Paul Muwanga  abrogated the results.

 Between 1981 and 1985 he served as the Leader of Opposition.DP began the  1981 term of Parliament with 51 Members of Parliament and ended the term with 32 Members of Parliament, a number that has only recent surpassed .In 1984 he was elected Vice President Christian Democratic International (CDI) aloose Alliance of  Conservative Parties  World wide.He served as a Shadow Minister of Defence  until the July 1985  coup when the UPC  Government was deposed from power.

DP joined Military Council with an intention of promoting a peaceful settlement of the post Idi Amin Military conflicts that had enveloped  most of the country.

 Paul Ssemogerere was sworn in as Minister of Internal Affairs on July 30th 1985 and almost immediately along with Col Gad Wilson Toko were sent to lead the  Uganda Delegation to the Peace Talks with the National Resistance Movement. In 1988 he became Minister of Foreign Affairs  and in 1989 he was appointed Second Deputy Prime Minister.In 1994,he became Minister of the Public Service.War weary Ugandans jubilated when the Peace Agreement was signed in December 1985.

The relief was short lived as the conflict quickly resumed ending with the fall of Kampala on  January 25,1986.After initial discussion again entered into government as a junior partner, handed portfolios of Internal Affairs, Justice (AG),Finance,Agriculture,Cooperatives and Marketing, Commerce, Planning and Economic Development and several junior portfolios.

The broad-based government negotiated the end of War in the  North, the drafting of the new Constitution the basis of the current constitutional order and drastic economic reforms at the onset which found the Treasury empty and the economy in a state of near collapse.

 Unfortunately, after the 1989 NRC elections and NRM drifted apart and Paul Ssemogerere one of the last members of  DP in government resigned in 1995 to contest in 1996 Presidential Elections.

The major points of contention being the botched transition and continued suspension  of multi-party rule Campaigning under the No-Party System was not a piece of cake.

In September 1995 he was involved  in a car accident a few miles  on the Masaka highway. In May 1996 he made history by naming a Woman MP backbencher Maria Mutagamba as Chairperson of his Campaign. It is well known that in 1996,Paul Ssemogerere  waged a second and final campaign for President.

The results were distorted by allegations of rigging, distribution of voters’ cards by government officials.

On the final day of the  campaigns, he was boat wrecked when the Police Marine Commandant refused to transport him to Kalangala a head of the final campaign rally in Mukono. There were a few of those in the boat which ran ashore at 4am.

He quickly made it to the final campaign rallies in Mukono. News of this incident which nearly claimed his life has remained  under wraps up to this day.

In the aftermath of the campaign, he returned to  the  DP Headquarters where he almost singlehandedly waged a campaign to remove Article 269 from the Constitution.

This campaign  got unexpected jolt when in the run-up to the 2000 Referendum on Political Systems, Parliament passed the Referendum and other Provisions Act without quorum in contravention of the Constitution. Paul Ssemogerere brought an action seeking to nullify the act.

Two DP Members of Parliament Zachary Olum and Rainer Kafire brought a companion action challenging the constitutionality of section 15 of the National Assembly Powers and Provisions Act that required leave of Parliament for its proceedings to be used in court.

The rest is history. petition after petition, he prevailed resulting in several reforms, First Government abandoned the Movement political system- a shadow one party system clothed in constitutional language, then the enactment of Political parties and  other Organizations Act,2002 which is the law of land, some of  whose provisions  he also challenged successfully in the Supreme Court  in 2004.In 2005, Uganda reverted to a multi-party system, he handed over the Leadership of Democratic Party (DP) to John Ssebana Kizito and has spent his final years in  political activism, as an elder,consultant,author and presenter at many conferences .In 2009, he headed the Common Wealth Election Observer Team in Swaziland .

He is the founder of the Foundation for African Development (FAD) a civil service Advocacy and capacity organization headquarter in Makindye that has molded a generation of political practitioners and politicians. Between 1996 and 2005 he was a Continental Vice President of the African People’s Party. In 2011,he published a treatise on Campaign Finance used as a reference for political parties in parliaments Worldwide.

These ideas have informed Institutional funding for political parties in Uganda. In the first discussion on political reforms, he led  a presentation to the Ssempebwa commission that recommended proportional representation to remove the stigma of  ” winner takes it all” in a heterogenous society like Uganda.In 2020 ,since his retirement he has been at vanguard of a United Opposition efforts to fight for good governance in Uganda. He started Unity in Diversity (UID) to Unite All Change seeking forces irrespective of Political Affiliation to pursue change through peaceful and non-violent means.