Uganda is mourning the loss of not just a legal giant, but a conscience that could not be bought, bent, or buried, National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi said on Tuesday, as he eulogized former Supreme Court Justice Prof. George Wilson Kanyeihamba.
Kyagulanyi described the late Justice as a fearless defender of truth and the rule of law.
“At a time when many judicial officers chose the comfort of complicity, he chose the narrow and rugged path of conviction,” Kyagulanyi said. “He believed in constitutionalism and the rule of law with all his might, and promoted them at great personal risk.”
He cited the 2006 presidential election petition as a key moment in Kanyeihamba’s legacy.
“In that case, Justice Kanyeihamba stood tall among his peers. He saw the fraud in the elections and ruled for the Constitution against the regime. For that, he was sidelined and ostracized by both the regime and the very institution he had helped shape—the judiciary.”
Kyagulanyi emphasized that despite the backlash, Kanyeihamba never retreated.
“Instead, he resisted with his pen and voice, exposing how the judiciary had become a shadow of its former self—transformed into a tool of repression. He decried the rise of what he called ‘cadre judges,’ whose loyalty lay not with the people, but with those who appointed them.”
Kyagulanyi praised Kanyeihamba’s unrelenting integrity, stating that even in isolation, he never lost his moral compass.
“Over and over again, he chose the truth—even when it bled, even when it cost him dearly. He taught us that integrity is always a worthy sacrifice,” Kyagulanyi said.
“As we bid farewell to this great son of Uganda, we must commit ourselves to the path he charted—a path where justice is a right, not a favor, and where speaking truth to power is not treason, but a duty.”
He added that the National Unity Platform had lost a valuable ally and advisor.
“He gave us encouragement in times of great persecution and was never shy to identify with our struggle. At a time when many doubted us, Justice Kanyeihamba boldly donned the red beret in solidarity with our cause for freedom and democracy.”
“We shall dearly miss you, Prof. Kanyeihamba. You may be gone, but your dissent echoes louder than the judgments of regime enablers in the judiciary. We hear you, we honor you, and we will carry the torch forward. May your soul rest in peace.”
Justice Kanyeihamba was laid to rest on Tuesday at his ancestral home in Buzinga. President Yoweri Museveni granted him a state burial in recognition of his outstanding service to Uganda’s legal, academic, and political spheres.
As part of the official honors, six cannons were fired during the ceremony.
