Court of Appeal Justice, Kenneth Kakuru, has died in Kenya.
Justice Kakuru passed away at Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi on Tuesday. He was aged 65.
According to Judiciary spokesperson Jamson Karemani, Justice Kakuru had been for stage four prostate cancer.
A lawyer and judge, Kakuru served as a justice of the Court of Appeal of Uganda, since May 2013.
Justice Kakuru is famed as the only one of five judges to rule that the amendment of the Constitution in 2017 to remove lower and upper age limits for presidential and local government candidates was done illegally.
“I declare that the entire constitutional amendment Act 1 of 2018 is unconstitutional and therefore null and void. All its provisions ought to be expunged from the Constitution,” he ruled in July 2018.
I declare that the entire constitutional amendment Act 1of 2018 is unconstitutional and therefore null and void. All its provisions ought to be expunged from the Constitution- Justice Kenneth Kakuru #AgeLimitJudgement #NTVNews https://t.co/qJptgsGvbZ pic.twitter.com/EzoTkDh10M
— NTV UGANDA (@ntvuganda) July 26, 2018
Background and education
He was born in Uganda and attended local schools for his primary and secondary school education. He studied law at Makerere University, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. Later, he graduated with a Master of Laws (LLM) degree, also from Makerere University.
His Diploma in Legal Practice was obtained from the Law Development Centre, in Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. He also holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Educational Policy Planning and Development, awarded by Kyambogo University.
Work history
Kakuru was the founder and Senior Partner of the law firm Kakuru & Company Advocates, a Kampala-based law firm, established in 1987. He established a reputation as an environmental rights attorney and an expert in public interest litigation.
He founded and at the time of his death still served as a non-executive director of Greenwatch Uganda, an environmental advocacy non-profit.
Judicial career
In May 2013, Kakuru was appointed directly to the Uganda Court of Appeal. Among his professional affiliations, he is a member of the Uganda Law Society, the East African Law Society, the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide and the International Bar Association.
Other considerations
He is an associate professor at the Uganda Pentecostal University, based in Fort Portal, Kabarole District. He is also an external examiner at the Law Development Center.
Family
Kenneth Kakuru was married to the late Winnie Ikiriza Kakuru (1 June 1958 to 8 March 2009), from 12 September 1987 until her death in 2009, and together they are the parents of three children, Sama, Tracy and Rose. On 14 January 2012, he married Charity Nankunda Kakuru, his current wife.
