Uganda is mourning the passing of retired Supreme Court Justice and legal luminary, Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba, who died at the age of 85.
A towering figure in Uganda’s legal and political spheres, Kanyeihamba’s career spanned decades of distinguished service in both academia and public life.
Born on August 11, 1939, in Kinaba, Kinkizi District in the Kigezi region, Kanyeihamba rose from humble beginnings as the last-born of eleven children of Zakaliya Bafwokworora and Kyenda Malyamu Kyakundwa, to become one of Uganda’s most influential legal minds. His early education took him through several church-based schools including Nyakatare and Nyaruhanga Anglican Church Primary, before he joined Kigezi High School and Busoga College Mwiri. He later attended Norwich City College and Portsmouth University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Laws.
Kanyeihamba earned a Doctor of Laws (PhD) from the University of Warwick in the 1970s, and in 2008, he was awarded an honorary LLD from the same institution. He would go on to lecture at the University of Portsmouth, Coventry University, and the University of Wales, Cardiff, shaping generations of legal scholars.
In Uganda, Kanyeihamba’s legacy is deeply tied to the country’s constitutional development. He served as Chairman of the Legal and Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly that birthed the 1995 Constitution. A former Minister of Commerce, Attorney General, and Minister of Justice, he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1997, where he served until his retirement in 2009.
Beyond the courtroom, he was the Chancellor of both Kampala International University and Kabale University, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Kabale University, and Legal Adviser to the President on Human Rights and International Affairs. He also served on international legal bodies, including as Chair of the International Commission of Jurists’ Advisory Panel of Eminent Commonwealth Judicial Experts.
Justice Kanyeihamba authored numerous books and journal articles, cementing his reputation as a scholar of integrity and intellect.
He is survived by his wife Susan Kanyeihamba, their three children—Sarah, Joel, and Ruth—and an adopted daughter, Betty.
His passing marks the end of an era for Uganda’s legal fraternity, where his contributions will remain etched in the annals of the nation’s history.