KAMPALA
Uganda is in mourning following the passing of Justice Professor George Wilson Kanyeihamba, a towering figure in the country’s legal, academic, and political spheres. He died early Monday morning at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala at the age of 85.
Born on August 11, 1939, in Kinaba, Kigezi Region, Kanyeihamba rose from humble beginnings to become one of Uganda’s most respected jurists. He was the last-born of eleven children to Zakaliya Bafwokworora and Kyenda Malyamu Kyakundwa.
Justice Kanyeihamba earned his Ph.D. in Law from the University of Warwick, which later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) in 2008. He lectured at institutions in the UK and Uganda, authored numerous legal texts, and served as Chancellor of both Kampala International University and Kabale University.
As Chair of the Legal Committee of the Constituent Assembly, Kanyeihamba played a pivotal role in drafting the 1995 Constitution, widely regarded as a landmark in Uganda’s democratic development.
Appointed to the Supreme Court in 1997, he served until his retirement in 2009. His most notable judicial moment came in 2006, when he joined two other justices in ruling that President Museveni’s re-election was marred by fraud, a bold dissent that many believe cost him his seat on the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Even in retirement, Kanyeihamba remained a fierce critic of government overreach. He condemned the armed re-arrest of treason suspects at the High Court, calling it a violation of judicial independence, a stance later upheld by the Constitutional Court.
Justice Kanyeihamba is also known for writing several influential books, including Constitutional and Political History of Uganda, and was a member of numerous legal and human rights bodies. Tributes have poured in from across Uganda and beyond, with many hailing him as a “moral compass” and “defender of justice”.
Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family in the coming days.
