Benedicto Kiwanuka

Benedicto Kagimu Mugumba Kiwanuka was born on May 8, 1922, in Kisabwa, Masaka. A sergeant major in the King's African Rifles in World War II, he studied law at University College London and was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1956.

As President of the Democratic Party (DP), Kiwanuka won the 1961 elections, becoming the first Prime Minister of Uganda during internal self-government. In 1971, he was appointed the first indigenous Chief Justice of Uganda. When dictator Idi Amin ordered arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial actions, Kiwanuka courageously upheld habeas corpus and the rule of law. On September 21, 1972, Amin's soldiers dragged him in his judicial robes from his Supreme Court chambers; he was executed the following day at Makindye military barracks.