Uganda, Nov. 24 -- The decision to go ahead with a three-gun salute at the funeral of Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, despite strong and clear protestations from the family and his widow, was vulgar and tasteless.

Yet it was an apt reminder of the push-and-pull contestation of power in Uganda between civilians and the military. Ssemogerere was the poster-boy of those who abhorred violence and believed in non-violent resolution of political contests.

It was both honourable and naive. Looking back, it is hard to see why anyone would have expected the Democratic Party, which Ssemogerere led, to enjoy the political dividend of the 1980 election, which it won. The failed attempts to build a new national consensus in Moshi, together with the short-...