Canaan Nkamuhabwa
From a Death Sentence to a Voice for the Forgotten
Legal Officer and Senior Defender, Justice Defenders
“In the land I was sent to hang, I am now helping many souls and giving hope.”
When Canaan Nkamuhabwa was sentenced to death, he felt betrayed by the very system he had once served. Having worked in the military, he expected fairness, due process and the chance to be heard. Instead, he faced trial without representation. His family was never told what had happened. “My story was never heard,” he says. “I felt completely abandoned.”
Inside prison, Canaan made a decision that changed the course of his life. He joined the Justice Defenders programme, driven by the injustice he had suffered and the belief that the law could be used differently. As he studied, he discovered not only understanding but purpose. Over four years as a paralegal, he supported two hundred and ninety two people, guiding them through appeals, court listings and hearings they could never have faced alone. Every release, every restored case file, every victory strengthened his resolve. “Having suffered this injustice,” he says, “at least I can now be a voice for others.”
After his release in 2022, Canaan stepped into one of the most significant justice reform efforts in Uganda. Together with colleagues, he helped petition Parliament to address the decades-long failure to issue lawful orders for people deemed unfit to stand trial. It was a complex challenge that had defeated many senior lawyers, yet the work resulted in reviews, releases and a new national procedure. “No one thought a former prisoner could help drive something like this,” he recalls. “But people had been forgotten for far too long.”
Today, Canaan serves as a Legal Officer and Senior Defender with Justice Defenders Uganda. Each day he advocates for people who would otherwise remain unheard. He believes the work is bigger than any one individual. “People who are powerless and unknown are not without hope,” he says. “Someone is standing for them. And the results can be seen.”
