President Museveni has appointed Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, the current Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), as Uganda’s new Principal Judge.
The appointment was confirmed on Saturday morning by Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Faruk Kirunda, who said the President’s letter circulating on social media was authentic.
“I hereby confirm that the letter circulating on social media regarding the appointment of Hon. Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo as the new Principal Judge is authentic,” Kirunda said, adding that her name has since been forwarded to Parliament for approval.
Justice Abodo replaces Justice Dr. Flavian Zeija, who was earlier this year elevated to Deputy Chief Justice. In the interim, Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga has been serving in an acting capacity.
Appointed DPP in 2020, Justice Abodo has been widely credited with strengthening the prosecution arm of the state, leading landmark anti-corruption cases, and advocating for better welfare for prosecutors. Her tenure has been marked by higher conviction rates and improved prosecution-led investigations.
Abodo has previously celebrated the Karamoja iron sheets case as one of those that have shaped her CV as DPP.
She said unlike before, the DPP had in the iron sheets scandal gone for the big fish in the lake ,noting that no stone would be left unturned.
Born in Moroto District, Karamoja, Abodo rose from a humble background to become one of the Judiciary’s most respected figures. She was appointed High Court Judge in 2018 and served in the Criminal Division, where she also championed the Plea Bargain Programme aimed at reducing case backlog and decongesting prisons.
Before joining the bench, she worked extensively as a state prosecutor, specializing in white-collar and cybercrime. She was recognized by the Uganda Law Society in 2015 as “Best Prosecutor of the Year” and has prosecuted high-profile corruption cases, including those involving former Permanent Secretary John Kashaka and former top officials in the pension scam.
Abodo holds a Master of Laws degree from Trinity College Dublin (2016). She is also celebrated as the first female judge from the Karamoja sub-region and has inspired many with her rise from being one among 62 siblings to one of the top figures in Uganda’s justice system.
