Kampala, Uganda: The late Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba will be remembered as one of Uganda’s most principled and outspoken legal minds, a man whose entire life was anchored on the rule of law, constitutionalism, and academic excellence.
Born on August 11, 1939, in Kinaba, Kinkizi District, Kigezi Region, Kanyeihamba rose from humble beginnings as the eleventh and last-born child of Zakaliya Bafwokworora and Kyenda Malyamu Kyakundwa to become a towering figure in Uganda’s legal, political, and academic landscape.
His early education took him through Hamurwa Church School, Nyaruhanga Anglican Church Primary School, Nyakatare Church School, Kigezi High School, and Busoga College Mwiri, before he proceeded to Norwich City College and later obtained a Bachelor of Laws from Portsmouth University.
He went on to earn his PhD in Law from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom in the 1970s, a feat that placed him among the most distinguished Ugandan legal scholars of his generation.
Judicial and Public Service Career
Prof. Kanyeihamba served Uganda with distinction across all arms of government. He was a Member of Parliament, a cabinet minister, serving as Minister of Commerce, Attorney General, and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in President Museveni’s early governments.
In 1997, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda, a position he held until his retirement in November 2009. Notably, he chaired the Legal and Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly, which gave birth to Uganda’s 1995 Constitution, a document he fiercely defended throughout his life.
Kanyeihamba’s courage on the bench was cemented in 2006 when he became one of only three Supreme Court justices who ruled that President Museveni’s re-election was fraudulent enough to warrant nullification.
This principled stand is widely believed to have cost him his position on the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, where he was later removed under suspicious circumstances.
Fearless Defender of Judicial Independence
Throughout his career, Kanyeihamba never wavered in criticizing state excesses. He openly condemned the armed invasion of the High Court of Uganda by security operatives, who re-arrested treason suspects already granted bail.
His position was vindicated when the Constitutional Court later ruled the raid unconstitutional.
Beyond the courtroom, Kanyeihamba served as Legal Advisor to the President on Human Rights and International Affairs, chaired the Committee on Judges’ Terms and Conditions of Service, and sat on the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative.
He was also a member of the International Commission of Jurists Advisory Panel of Eminent Commonwealth Judicial Experts.
Scholary and Academic Impact
Prof. Kanyeihamba’s academic influence stretched across continents. He taught law at Portsmouth College (now University of Portsmouth), Coventry University (formerly Lanchester Polytechnic), and the University of Wales in Cardiff.
He also taught at Uganda’s Law Development Centre (then Nsamizi Law School).
Kanyeihamba authored numerous authoritative works on constitutional law, human rights, and governance, including: “Constitutional Law and Government in Uganda” (1975), “Reflections on the Muslim Leadership Question in Uganda” (1998), “Kanyeihamba’s Commentaries on Law, Politics and Governance” (2006), “Constitutional and Political History of Uganda: From 1894 to Present” (2010) and “The Blessings and Joy of Being Who You Are” (2012).
His academic contributions earned him an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the University of Warwick in 2008.
Leadership in Higher Education
Prof. Kanyeihamba served as Chancellor of Kampala International University and Kabale University, shaping both institutions with his firm belief in academic freedom and integrity.
He also chaired the Board of Trustees at Kabale University, where he was instrumental in steering governance reforms.
Personal Life
The late Prof was married to Susan Kanyeihamba (née Randall) and a devoted father to Sarah, Joel, Ruth, and an adopted daughter, Betty.
Prof. Kanyeihamba’s death on July 14, 2025, at Nakasero Hospital after a period of illness, closed the final chapter on a life defined by an unwavering commitment to justice, truth, and the independence of the judiciary.
His name remains etched in Uganda’s legal history as a man who spoke truth to power — fearlessly, eloquently, and without compromise.
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