SMACK moves to name block after ex-DP president Kawanga Ssemogerere

St Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) has announced plans to name a new classroom block at the school  after  former Democratic Party president, Dr.Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere.

Ssemogerere is an alumnus of the school

In a  May 31 letter, the school headteacher, Bro Simeon Simon Mpanga informed Prof Germina Ssemogerere, Ssemogerere’s widow of their move.

“During its meeting on April, 13 2024, the board of governors of SMACK resolved to name the new classroom block after Hon. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, an illustrious old boy,” said the headteacher.

He consequently asked Ssemogerere’s family to consent for the naming of the block

In case of consent, the naming ceremony will be held on 23 August 2024.”

The school has also invited the family to visit the school and tour the classroom block before the naming ceremony .

Dr. Ssemogerere died at the age of 90 in 2022.

Born in  February 1932, at Bumangi, Buggala Island, in  Ssese, Ssemogerere was baptized on February, 18  of the same year.

In 1940, he started formal education at St. John’s Boys Boarding Primary School. He later joined St. Henry’s College Kitovu’s  Primary Section before it was abolished.

Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere then went to  Kisubi Boys where he completed his Primary Leaving Certificate in1946. 

In 1947 Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere joined St.Mary’s College KisubiJunior Secondary One.

He obtained the Secondary Leaving Certificate in 1949 and was admitted to Senior Secondary One in 1950. He obtained the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate in 1952.

After St. Mary’s College Kisubi, Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere enrolled at Makerere College, then the University College of East Africa, when it was still an affiliate of the University of London.

He underwent an Intermediate Course (the equivalent of  Higher School Certificate) and, thereafter joined the Faculty of Education for a Diploma in Education (Dip. Ed. EA; 1959) Ssemogerere continued to pursue academics even as he practiced politics and by 1979, he had obtained a PhD in Public Administration for a New York University.

He took over leadership of the DP in 1972 while parties were under proscription by the military government, and officially became its president general after the fall of Idi Amin in 1979.

Ssemogerere contested for president in December 1980, in the disputed election that led to the Luwero bush war as many believed he had been robbed of his victory.

He  went to Parliament to lead the opposition.

After the fall of the Obote 2 government, Ssemogerere served as minister in the subsequent governments, until 1995 when he resigned in readiness to contest for presidency in the 1996 polls that were won by Yoweri Museveni.