Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed Mr. Lino Anguzu as the new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), pending parliamentary vetting and approval.
Anguzu is set to replace Justice Jane Frances Abodo, who was recently appointed Principal Judge in a reshuffle of Uganda’s top judicial offices after a five-year tenure at the helm of the Directorate of Public Prosecution.
Mr. Faruk Kirunda, the Deputy Press Secretary to the President, confirmed the appointment and said Anguzu’s name has already been forwarded to Parliament for consideration and vetting.
“News of the appointment of Mr Lino Anguzu as the new Director of Public Prosecutions by H.E @KagutaMuseveni is authentic. Accordingly, the appointee’s name has been forwarded to Parliament for vetting,” Kirunda said on Tuesday evening.
Who Is Lino Anguzu?
Lino Anguzu currently serves as Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (ADPP) and heads the International Crimes Department (ICD) at the Office of the DPP.
His work has focused mainly on war crimes, human trafficking, terrorism, and transnational organised crime, overseeing several landmark prosecutions under the ICD docket. He has also represented Uganda in regional and international legal cooperation forums.
Anguzu’s elevation marks his rise from the technical arm of prosecution into national leadership. Having spent years within the ODPP, his appointment offers continuity, institutional experience, and reform potential for the Directorate.
Legal analysts describe Anguzu as a career prosecutor with deep institutional knowledge and a reputation for methodical case handling.
His tenure is expected to prioritise among others; strengthening prosecutorial independence and transparency, improving conviction rates and reducing case backlogs, enhancing regional and international cooperation on cross-border crimes and expanding digital prosecution systems for efficiency and accountability
A senior ODPP source told DailyExpress that Anguzu’s experience at the International Crimes Department “positions him well to deal with complex and high-profile cases, including corruption, human trafficking, and terrorism.”
Challenges Ahead
As DPP, Anguzu will now face the task of managing a system that still grapples with limited staffing, slow investigations, and public trust deficits. He will need to maintain the ODPP’s independence amid political pressures and ensure that prosecutions are handled professionally and fairly, especially in politically sensitive cases.
Observers also note that as next DPP he must reinforce district-level operations, ensure timely case disposal, and protect vulnerable witnesses, particularly in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases.
Anguzu’s appointment signals a moment of transition in Uganda’s prosecutorial leadership as he will steer the ODPP through a period of reform focused on efficiency, credibility, and modernization, continuing Justice Abodo’s legacy while charting his own path.
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