Kampala, Uganda: When the news of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni appointing Lino Anguzu as the new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) went viral on Tuesday afternoon, the announcement took much of Uganda’s legal establishment by surprise.
Anguzu, who has been serving as Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (ADPP) and head of the International Crimes Department (ICD), was technically fourth in the ODPP hierarchy — yet he leapfrogged three Deputy Directors who were widely seen as the natural successors to outgoing DPP Justice Jane Frances Abodo.
Anguzu’s appointment, now awaiting parliamentary vetting, has set tongues wagging inside the corridors of the judiciary and prosecution offices.
A Surprise Pick from the Middle Ranks
By structure, the Office of the DPP has one Director, assisted by three Deputy Directors, each in charge of specific directorates:- Prosecutions, Management and Support Services, and International Affairs & Inspectorate.
These are: Odumbi James Owere (International Affairs), George William Byansi (Inspections, Quality Assurance, Research and Training), and John Baptist Asiimwe the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions – Management Support Services.
Below these are several Assistant Directors, including Anguzu, who has for years headed the International Crimes Department, handling war crimes, human trafficking, terrorism, and transnational offences.
Traditionally, the next DPP is chosen from among the sitting Deputy Directors, given their seniority and administrative scope. Anguzu’s promotion, therefore, skipped three layers of senior management, an unprecedented move in recent ODPP history.
A senior prosecutor who spoke to DailyExpress on Tuesday evening, shortly after the news broke, said the appointment “sent shock waves within the institution.”
“We expected one of the three deputies to take over. Anguzu’s name was not among the top three we had informally discussed, so his choice shows that the President looked beyond hierarchy,” the source said, on condition of anonymity.
Museveni’s Pick: Loyalty, Performance and Strategic Profile
Another source close to the State House told Daily Express, when contacted about the appointment, that President Museveni’s decision was based on a combination of loyalty, integrity, and performance.
Anguzu, known for his quiet but methodical work ethic, has handled several high-profile prosecutions without controversy, particularly those under the International Crimes Department, which has strong inter-agency coordination with security and intelligence organs.
“He is a discreet technocrat who works with discipline, avoids politics, and has a track record in international and terrorism cases, a portfolio the President pays close attention to,” the source, a government insider familiar with the selection process, said.
Anguzu’s experience in transnational prosecutions and security-related coordination reportedly appealed to Museveni, who prefers prosecutors with both legal skill and national-security awareness.
Why the Deputies Were Overlooked
While no official explanation has been issued, legal observers point to several underlying factors. First, succession politics within the ODPP had created internal competition among the three deputy directors, with each heading a powerful division. This rivalry, according to insiders, made it difficult to achieve consensus on leadership direction after Justice Abodo’s elevation to Principal Judge.
Second, the President is said to have been looking for a fresh face unentangled in internal bureaucratic tensions, someone who could reset the tone of the ODPP, strengthen discipline, and rebuild public trust.
Third, Anguzu’s clean public record and professional modesty may have made him an attractive compromise candidate, senior enough to understand the system, yet not part of its political undercurrents.
A Calculated Shake-up
Analysts see the move as part of a broader reorganization of Uganda’s justice leadership, following the recent appointments of Justice Abodo as Principal Judge, Justice Flavian Zeija’s appointment as Deputy Chief Justice, and changes within the Judicial Service Commission.
“This is Museveni’s way of injecting new blood and rewarding quiet performers,” a renowned governance scholar at Makerere University, also preferring to stay anonymous to this report. “The DPP’s office is central to anti-corruption and state prosecutions. The President may have wanted someone dependable and less politically exposed.”
Anguzu’s promotion over his seniors may, however, test internal harmony within the ODPP, where the three bypassed deputies will now have to report to their former junior. His appointment now awaits parliamentary vetting, but within the ODPP, one reality has already set in: the new DPP owes his rise not to seniority, but to trust, performance, and the President’s quiet calculus.
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