Nairobi, March 16 -- I've liked almost all our presidents, which gets me accused of being a sentimental naif, but even in a country as rich in charmingly approachable heads of state there are some more appealing than others. Over the years I collected many anecdotes about the man who succeeded Julius Nyerere and proceeded to loosen Mwalimu's autocratic grip on both state and party. It's only in adulthood that I've come to appreciate the subtlety and skill with which this was done.

When Mwalimu stepped down, I was just a guppy. The roads of Dar were practically devoid of cars, so it was easy to spot our presidents, past and present, when they moved around on the mainline that connects the city centre to Kinondoni.

Still, I noticed the sw...