Hon. Justice Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba Justice of The Supreme Court (1997 – 2009)
We in the Judiciary have learnt with great sadness the passing on, of our Learned Brother and Friend, Hon. Justice Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba, who passed away on 14th July, 2025, at the age of 85.
Justice Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba was an accomplished author, teacher, politician and judge who also served as a Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament. He was also the Chairperson of the Legal Committee of the Constituent Assembly that made the1995 Constitution.
George Wilson Kanyeihamba was born in Kinaba inKinkizi District of the Kigezi Region on 11th August1939. He attended Kigezi High School, Busoga College Mwiri and Norwich City College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Portsmouth University in the1970s. He was also awarded a Doctorate of Laws from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.
In 1997, he was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda where he diligently served for12 years. He retired in November 2009. Justice Kanyeihamba was in 2006 elected as one of the inaugural judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. There, he contributed significantly to establishing the Court’s credibility and shaping its early jurisprudence in the protection and promotion of human rights across Africa.
His rulings and legal writings demonstrate a strong commitment to constitutionalism, justice, and human rights values he steadfastly upheld throughout his life.
He is remembered for advocating for the rights of refugees and other vulnerable groups. He is the author of the Article: Improving the Standards of Human Rights and Refugee Protection in Africa which was published in May 1987 in Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees Volume 6 Number 4.
In addition to serving on the Bench, Justice Kanyeihamba was a distinguished scholar and prolific writer whose writings served as a source of inspiration and guidance for innumerable scholars and legal professionals in Uganda and around the world. He gained respect and recognition on a national and international stage for his contributions to the legal and academic domains.
His book: Kanyeihamba’s Commentaries on Law, Politics and Governance, 2006 was one of the many that excited the legal professionals by highlighting the unsaid bottlenecks to justice service delivery in the justice sector.
He is remembered for his distinguished literature on a number of subjects, including constitutionalism, law, human rights, justice and humour, including the following:
a. Constitutional Law and Government in Uganda: The Theory and Practice of Constitutionalism in Uganda;
b. (Kanyeihamba’s Commentaries on Law, Politics and Governance, 2006; and
C. Constitutional and Political History of Uganda: From 1894 to Present, 2010.
Prof. Kanyeihamba was a renown academic, who served in several positions at various universities both in Uganda and abroad. He served as the Chancellor of Kampala International University and Kabale University and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kabale University. He also served as Lecturer at the following Universities and Tertiary Institutions:
a. Nsamizi Law School in Entebbe which later became the Law Development Centre,
b. Portsmouth College, now the University of Portsmouth,
C. Lanchester Polytechnic, now Coventry University, and
d. The University of Wales in Cardiff.
Prof. Kanyeihamba also executed special assignments, including:
a. Chairperson of The Committee on Judges’ Terms and Conditions of Service;
b. Member of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, Kampala;
C. Legal Adviser to the President of Uganda on Human Rights and International Affairs;
d. Chairperson, Legal and Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly; and
e. Chairperson of the International Commission of Jurists Advisory Panel of Eminent Commonwealth Judicial Experts
His steadfast integrity, moral leadership, and extraordinary bravery in upholding the independence of the Judiciary and the sanctity of the Constitution define Justice Kanyeihamba’s legacy. The Judiciary, legal fraternity in its entirety, and I believe, the nation as a whole is mourning with great pain the passing on of Justice Kanyeihamba.
The Judiciary offers its deepest sympathies to the family of the Late Justice Kanyeihamba, the President of the Republic of Uganda, the legal fraternity, the members of the academia, the people of Uganda and the international friends, who have been variously impacted by his life and noble works.
While we grieve his passing on, we also honour a life devoted to service, justice, and the unrelenting search for the truth. He was outspoken, fearless, formidable and principled, deeply ethical and incorruptible.
May the soul of Hon. Justicë Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba Rest in Eternal Peace.
