The late Kanyeihamba
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Former Supreme Court judge Justice (rtd.) Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba who passed on Monday morning was battling heart complications, which most likely caused his demise.
According to his long time business associate, the aging legal mind is known to have suffered from these complications for long, decrementing his retirement.
“He intimated to me that he has been in and out of hospital due to these complications, and was worried of his health,” said an associate in the legal fraternity on condition of anonymity.
Kanyeihamba served as a Supreme Court Judge from 1997 to 2009, and was Chair of the Legal Committee of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the 1995 Constitution.
He also previously served as Minister of Commerce, Minister of Justice, and Attorney-General.
His early years
George Wilson Kanyeihamba was born on 11 August 1939 in Kinaba, Kinkizi District, Kigezi Region. He was the last-born and eleventh child of Zakaliya Bafwokworora and Kyenda Malyamu Kyakundwa.
He attended Hamurwa Church School, Nyaruhanga Anglican Church Primary School, Nyakatare Church School, Kigezi High School, Busoga College Mwiri, and Norwich City College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Portsmouth University.
In the 1970s, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.
Kanyeihamba was married to Susan Kanyeihamba. Together, they had three children: Sarah, Joel, and Ruth. He also had an adopted daughter, Betty.
He was appointed a member of the Supreme Court of Uganda in 1997 and retired in November 2009.
Professional life
Upon completing his undergraduate and professional studies, Kanyeihamba was appointed Lecturer at Portsmouth College, now the University of Portsmouth.
He was later appointed State Attorney, with special responsibilities for teaching law to professional classes and to London External Degree undergraduates at the Nsamizi Law School in Entebbe, which later became the Law Development Centre.
He also lectured in law at Lanchester Polytechnic, now Coventry University, and at the University of Wales in Cardiff. He authored and co-authored numerous journal articles and books.
He held a PhD in Law from the University of Warwick. In 2008, Warwick awarded him an honorary LLD.
