PROFILE: Who is Jane Frances Abodo, Uganda’s first female Principal Judge

Kampala, Uganda: Justice Jane Frances Abodo, newly appointed as Uganda’s Principal Judge, brings to the role a distinguished career in prosecution and the bench, coupled with a reputation for integrity and resilience.

She becomes the first woman to occupy the position under the 1995 Constitution.

Until her elevation, Justice Abodo had served as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) since 2020, a role in which she steered some of the country’s most high-profile prosecutions and oversaw reforms in plea bargaining.

Her appointment to the Bench came in 2018, after more than a decade of service in the Office of the DPP, where she rose from pupil state attorney to Senior Assistant DPP and head of the Anti-Corruption desk.

Abodo’s tenure at the Anti-Corruption Court was marked by high conviction rates and a spotless reputation for integrity, a record that saw her named Prosecutor of the Year 2015 by the Uganda Law Society.

Justice Abodo is also remembered for presiding over the high-profile case of Godfrey Wamala Troy, whom she convicted of manslaughter in the death of musician Moses Ssekibogo, popularly known as Mowzey Radio, sentencing him to 14 years in prison.

Academically, Abodo holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from Trinity College Dublin (2016), which built on her earlier training in law in Uganda.

Hailing from Karamoja, one of the country’s most remote regions, Abodo’s rise is also a story of personal resilience. She is the ninth-born among 62 siblings, a background that underscores her steady climb to one of the top three positions in Uganda’s Judiciary.

She served as a focal point person for the plea-bargaining programme within the DPP’s office, which aimed at reducing case backlog in Uganda’s courts.

With her new appointment, Justice Abodo takes charge as the administrative head of the High Court and all subordinate magistrates’ courts, a position that carries significant weight in steering Uganda’s justice system.