KAMPALA, Uganda| The Director of Public Prosecutions commemorates 5 years of recommendable leadership, where she counts a milestone of achievements which align with the National Development Plan (NDP) III and Uganda’s Vision 2040.

In her speech delivered on the 22nd of April, 2025, Jane Frances Abodo revealed that the set targets geared towards building on the successes and achievements of her predecessors and refocusing the ODPP on several critical areas, which included focusing on high-level crime and reducing case backlog, improving staff welfare, developing guidelines for the prosecutors and establishing a prosecutor’s academy, have been the major focal points in her half-decade leadership so far.

Abodo also revealed that there have been achievements in delivering judgements in notable criminal cases such as:

FORMER LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY (LRA) COMMANDER THOMAS KWOYELO PROSECUTED, CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR WAR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY.

In a historic moment for Uganda’s prosecutorial and judicial system, the ODPP, in September and October 2024, secured convictions and a groundbreaking 40-year prison sentence against former Lord’s Resistance Army Thomas Kweyolo. The sentence marks the first successful prosecution of international crimes with Uganda’s courts, addressing atrocities committed during the LRA’s decades-long insurgency against the Uganda government, which negatively affected the lives of people in northern, northeastern and eastern Uganda.

KAZINDA GEOFFREY, THE PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, AND OTHERS WERE PROSECUTED, CONVICTED OF CORRUPTION AND SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IMPRISONMENT.

The Principal Accountant in the OPM and the Principal Systems Analyst in the Ministry of Finance were convicted of corruption cases arising from mismanagement of Peace, Recovery and Development Plan funds in the sum of Ug. shs. 19,171,467,505. Mr Kazinda was ordered to refund this money to the government and serve a cumulative custodial sentence of 25 years, and also the second accused was sentenced to a fine of Ug. shs. 18 million or imprisonment for 3 years. Both convicts were barred from holding offices for a period of 10 years.

THREE MEMBERS OF THE ALLIED DEMOCRATIC FORCES (ADF) WERE PROSECUTED AND CONVICTED FOR THEIR PLANNED ATTACK AT DEPUTY IGP GENERAL PAUL LOKECH’S FUNERAL.

Three accused persons were prosecuted by the ODPP and convicted of terrorism, unlawful possession of explosives and belonging to a terrorist organisation by the International Crimes Division of the High Court on the 23rd of August 2024 for their involvement in a planned terrorist attack on the late Deputy Inspector General of Police, General Paul Lokech. Katumba Rashid Rashid Rashidwas convicted of terrorism and unlawful possession of explosives; Luyenjje Najjimu and Kiyemba Arafat Jamil were convicted of the offence of belonging to a terrorist organisation.

KASOLO COPORIYAMU, ALIAS ARSENAL, AND 4 OTHERS PROSECUTED, CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT AND 35 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR THE MURDER OF NAGIRINYA GATENI.

Kasolo Coporiyamu, alias Arsenal; Lubega Johnson, alias Etoo, alias Manomano, alias Rasta; Kalyango Nasif, alias Muwonge; Kiseka, alias Masadda; and Mpanga Sharif, alias Shafiq, were prosecuted on two counts of kidnapping with intent to murder and two counts of aggravated robbery to the prejudice of Nagirinya Maria Gateni and Kitayimbwa Ronald, respectively, and convicted, and Kosolo Coporiyimu was sentenced to life imprisonment , and the others, apart from Kiseka Hassan, to 25 years’ imprisonment on 19th October 2023. Kiseka Hassan was acquitted.

MURDER AND TERRORISM CHARGES IN ASSISTANT DPP JOAN KAGEZI CASE
CONFIRMED.

Following prosecution-guided investigations by a team comprising officers from the ODPP, Criminal Investigations Directorate, Defence Intelligence and Security and the Anti-Terrorism Taskforce, there was a breakthrough in the Joan Kagezi case that originated in 2015. In 2024, four suspects were arrested for the murder of Joan Kagezi, an assistant director of public prosecutions in the office of public prosecutions. They were charged with murder and terrorism and committed to the International Crimes Division of the High Court.

On March 24, 2025, criminal charges of murder and terrorism against accused persons Kisekka Daniel Kiwanuka, Kibuuka John, Nasur Abdallah, and Masajjage John being prosecuted by the ODPP for the murder of Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Kagezi were confirmed by the International Crimes Division of the High Court. The ruling has paved the way for a trial, nearly a decade after her killing.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is established under Article 120 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda. It is charged with the duty of instituting criminal proceedings in all Courts with competent jurisdiction except the court martial

Hon. Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo is the first female Director of Public Prosecutions. Before serving on the Bench, she was a prosecutor in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for nineteen years, ten of which were spent as head of the Anti-Corruption Department. She assumed office as DPP on the 22nd of April 2020.