Retired Supreme Court Judge and esteemed legal scholar Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba has passed away, family sources confirmed.
He had been receiving care in the Intensive Care Unit at Nakasero Hospital, Kampala, until his death.
George W. Kanyeihamba was a Ugandan author, a retired Supreme Court Judge, former cabinet minister, member of parliament and chair of the Legal Committee of the Constituent Assembly that made the 1995 Constitution.
Early Life
Professor Kanyeihamba was born on 11 August 1939 in Kinaba, Kinkizi, Kanungu, Kigezi Region. He was the last born and eleventh child of Zakaliya Bafwokworora and Kyenda Malyamu Kyakundwa.
He attended Hamurwa Church School, Nyaruhanga Anglican Church Primary School, Nyakatare Church School, Kigezi High School, Busoga College Mwiri, and Norwich City College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Portsmouth University. In the 70’s, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.
Legal Career
Prof. Kanyeihamba’s legal career was both storied and influential. Appointed to the Supreme Court of Uganda in 1997, he served with distinction until his retirement in 2009.
He was appointed a member of the Supreme Court of Uganda in 1997 and retired in November 2009. Previously, he served as minister of commerce, minister of justice, and attorney-general, all in President Yoweri Museveni’s administration. He holds a Ph.D. in law from the University of Warwick. In 2008, Warwick awarded him an honorary LLD.
Kanyeihamba was one of the three Supreme Court justices who ruled that the re-election of President Museveni in 2006 was fraudulent enough to be nullified. He has since lost his post as judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and commentators believe that his stand in that election petition cost him his job.
He was critical of the Government of Uganda when armed men invaded the premises of the High Court of Uganda to rearrest treason suspects that had been released on bail by the court. The Constitutional Court has since ruled that the invasion of the court premises was unconstitutional.
Beyond the judiciary, Prof. Kanyeihamba made significant scholarly contributions, teaching at several universities and authoring influential works on constitutional law, governance, and human rights.
He additionally served as Uganda’s representative to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
News of his death has been met with sorrow across Uganda’s legal and academic circles. Expressions of grief and commendation for his integrity have already begun to emerge.
Details on funeral arrangements are yet to be released by the family. Meanwhile, tributes are expected from across the judiciary, political leadership, academia, and civil society sectors to honour the legacy of this distinguished jurist.