Renowned legal scholar and retired Supreme Court Judge, Prof. George W. Kanyeihamba, has passed away this morning at Nakasero Hospital at the age of 85.
The exact circumstances surrounding his death have not yet been confirmed, though reports suggest he had been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for an extended period.
A towering figure in Uganda’s legal and political landscape, Prof. Kanyeihamba was not only a respected jurist but also a prolific author, academic, and statesman. Over the course of his illustrious career, he served as a Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament, and Chair of the Legal Committee of the Constituent Assembly that drafted Uganda’s 1995 Constitution.
Appointed to the Supreme Court in 1997, he served until his retirement in November 2009. Prior to his judicial appointment, he held key positions in President Yoweri Museveni’s government, including Minister of Commerce, Minister of Justice, and Attorney General.
Prof. Kanyeihamba held a PhD in Law from the University of Warwick, which later honoured him with an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) in 2008.
His legal legacy is perhaps most noted for his dissenting judgment in the 2006 presidential election petition, where he was one of only three Supreme Court justices who ruled that President Museveni’s re-election was marred by irregularities serious enough to warrant nullification. Many commentators believe this bold stance cost him his seat on the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, where he had been serving as a judge.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Prof. Kanyeihamba openly criticised the Ugandan government following the armed invasion of the High Court by security forces, who re-arrested treason suspects released on bail. The Constitutional Court would later rule that the incident was unconstitutional.
Throughout his career, Prof. Kanyeihamba maintained a complex, often unpredictable relationship with the state. Known for his unwavering independence and intellectual rigour, he was the only sitting judge in Uganda with a PhD at the time of his retirement—a fact that earned him deep respect within the legal fraternity.
Beyond the bench, he served as Chancellor of both Kampala International University and Kabale University. His public service portfolio also included numerous prestigious roles, such as:
Member, Foundation for Human Rights Initiative
Chairman, Committee on Judges’ Terms and Conditions of Service
Legal Advisor to the President on Human Rights and International Affairs
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Kabale University
Chair, Legal and Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly
Chair, International Commission of Jurists Advisory Panel of Eminent Commonwealth Judicial Experts
