Nairobi, Feb. 18 -- Tanzanians have spent this past week mourning a former prime minister, Edward Ngoyai Lowassa, who left office 15 years ago amid accusations of graft. Notwithstanding the manner of his exit, the public outpouring of grief has been overwhelming.

As is the wont of occasions such as this, there have been official biographical statements lauding the man as a fallen hero, ticking off the many initiatives he undertook in the various phases of his public life, such as the establishment of the University of Dodoma and the tapping of the waters of Lake Victoria for irrigation in the Sukuma hinterland.

I incline to go back to these two high points (there are so many more), because they truly represent the persona of the man, hi...