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Cecil Kennard laid to rest
President Irfaan Ali paying respects to former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Cecil Kennard
Kaieteur News – Former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Cecil Kennard was on Wednesday laid to rest days after his passing.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali was among several other high officials who attended the funeral service held at his residence in Bel Air. President Ali expressed condolences to the family and friends of the former Chancellor of the Judiciary on behalf of himself and the Government of Guyana. The Head of State said that Guyana has not only lost a distinguished gentleman but an extraordinary soul.
He lauded the late Justice Kennard for his contributions to the development of the legal fraternity and the country as a whole. President Ali was joined by Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh; Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall and other representatives from the government and legal fraternity in Guyana, including Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George, and Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack.
After retiring as chancellor, Kennard served as Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority. Before embarking on his career, the former Chancellor had studied Law in the United Kingdom’s prestigious Lincoln’s Inn. He returned to Guyana in 1962 to open a private practice in Berbice, from where he hails.
In 1965, he was appointed State Counsel (prosecutor) in the Director of Public Prosecutions Chambers, before being elevated to senior State Counsel in 1968. He also served as the Guyana Police Force’s legal advisor. Kennard later served at the Court of Appeal until he became Chancellor of the Judiciary from 1996 to 2002, when he left the Judiciary to take up his position at the PCA where he served until 2017.
During his career, he was the recipient of two national awards, the Order of Roraima, the second highest order and the Cacique Crown of Honour – the third highest order.
Justice Kennard was also the honorary President of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club located at Bush Lot.
Justice Kennard was most famous in the sporting fraternity for hosting his annual Boxing Day horse racing meet, Emancipation Day horse racing meet and Independence Day meet which were held every year at the club until the pandemic put a halt on the proceedings.
President Ali comforting the widow of the late Cecil Kennard
During his stellar career, Justice Kennard would have prosecuted some of the most high-profile cases both in Guyana and Antigua. In sharing his sympathies on the passing of Justice Kennard, Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, SC, noted that as a judge, he presided over thousands of cases, in particular criminal cases, some being the most famous criminal cases of that era.
”The Guyana Law Reports, the West Indian Law Reports and the Commonwealth Law Reports, have recorded some of the landmark judgments he would have written and rendered during his long and illustrious career. Criminal law was certainly his forte,” he said.
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