By Francis Otucu

Thursday morning, it emerged that Justice Jane Frances Abodo had been appointed President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to replace Justice Mike Chibita Director of Public Prosecutions.

Chibita had earlier been elevated to the Supreme Court.

From a humble background, Abodo grew up in a remote area of Moroto district, Karamoja. She studied under a tree and wrote on the ground in her primary days.

Previous positions

Justice Abodo was appointed High Court Judge on March 23, 2018. She has been attached to the High Court’s Criminal Division and she’s the Focal-Point Person of Judiciary’s Plea Bargain Programme — an initiative used to fight case backlog in criminal cases, as well as decongest prisons.

Prior to joining the bench, she was a state prosecutor specialising in white-collar and cybercrime.

She holds a Master of Laws from Trinity College Dublin (2016). 

In 2015, Abodo was recognized by the Uganda Law Society as the best prosecutor of the year. Her office boasted of the highest conviction rates in Uganda.

For eight years she has headed the prosecution arm of the Anti-Corruption Court – as area that has not had integrity issues during her time.

Over time, Abodo has also grown through the ranks. She started as a pupil state attorney before moving to senior state attorney, then attorney principal and now to senior assistant DPP.

Hailing from one of the most remote regions of Uganda, Abodo is the ninth among 62 siblings.

Recent cases handled 

She handled the murder case of late singer Moses Ssekibogo alias as Mowzey Radio and handed a 14-year jail term to the culprit Godfrey Wamala after finding him guilty of manslaughter.

She also handled the bail application of Businessman Ivan Katongole who was later acquitted of Entebbe Women murder charges.

Her journey to the top

When the Anti- Corruption Court in Kololo, Kampala was established in August 2009, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) was thrown into a dilemma, about who should head the division as its representative.

Reason? The directorate needs a corruption-free person to champion the fight against corruption. “The directorate of ODPP needs somebody with high integrity, who is incorruptible to manage the sensitive division because the task of heading the Anti-Corruption Court is huge,” a source who did not want to be named said.

Several names came up and, eventually, it was agreed that Jane Frances Abodo should be the one to lead the fight against corruption on behalf of the ODPP.

Abodo has set herself apart as intelligent, decorous, incorruptible, polite.

Karamoja’s first Judge

When Abodo was appointed a judge of the High Court in February 2018, Karamoja went into celebrations as she had made history by becoming the first judge in Karamoja region.

One may misconstrue her to be anybody on the Kampala streets. She exudes calmness and collected composure as she strolls from one point to another. However, beyond the person lies a character of hard work, honesty and integrity.

Glancing into her work experience, she presents a woman whose hands have substantially accomplished a lot as the then senior principal attorney.

In 2015, Abodo was voted the best female prosecutor by the Uganda Law Society (ULS) after she successfully prosecuted several cases and got convictions. 

While heading the Directorate of Public Prosecutions at the Anti- Corruption Court, for the past eight years, Abodo led a team of state attorneys to prosecute and hold public officials who steal government funds accountable.

She has prosecuted prominent officials, such as former principal accountant in Prime Minister’s office Geoffrey Kazinda.

Abodo also prosecuted the pension case of sh88b involving Jimmy Lwamafa, Stephen Kiwanuka Kunsa and Christopher Obey, all former officials of Public Service among others and got a successful conviction.

She successfully prosecuted former Permanent Secretary John Kashaka who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail for causing financial loss of sh4.2b. The money was meant for procuring bicycles for local councillors.

“We cannot eradicate corruption overnight. You have to have the patience to look at the root of corruption, to know the cure you are going to apply,” Abodo said.

Due to her busy schedules, Abodo said she leaves home by 5:00am to beat the traffic and is at her desk working by 6:30am.

Sometimes, she works on Saturdays and encourages everyone in her department to match her work ethics.

Before joining the Anti-Corruption Court, Abodo was already an experienced prosecutor, having worked in different capacities as a state attorney at the ODPP and also prosecuted cases and got convictions.

That experience, coupled with her ability to handle high profile cases, continues to radiate in extraordinary ways culminating into her appointment as judge.

When she was appointed judge, Abodo said she could not believe that she is in the position because she was one of only three female lawyers from Karamoja region working in the Ugandan judicial system.

Just a few months before her appointment as a judge, she did not only meet the expectations of clearing case backlog at the Anti-Corruption Court, but also succeeded in prosecuting them successfully.

She had developed a schedule on how to manage difficult cases by bringing on board other state attorneys to brainstorm so as to have a watertight prosecution case.

Abodo has shown progress over the years and has become a shining example of what it means to provide quality service.

Under her leadership, the station grew from a small unit into a department. Under her docket, from only six state attorneys in 2009 to 16 state attorneys and 11 investigators, the directorate had a conviction rate of 100% as of December 2017. “The acquittals come from upcountry cases where the cases are not well investigated,” Abodo said.

Turning point


As luck would have it, she later emerged as the best overall student to join Makerere University.

She was admitted to study library and information science, but, along the way, she changed to bachelors of law. “All my friends were saying your marks are good. Why don’t you change the course and study law? I went straight to the academic registrar, Mukwanason Hyuha, and I changed to law,” Abodo said.

She says becoming a lawyer was her turning point, having come from a rural school, where there was no career guidance.  “I stumbled on law because I did not think I would one day be a lawyer prosecuting cases on behalf of the State given my educational background. Studying law and joining ODPP was my turning point in my career,” Abodo says.

Abodo is expected next week to appear before Parliament for vetting. Her appointment details are contained in a circular issued by the office of the Clerk to Parliament indicating that she will appear before the Appointments Committee on April 6, 2020, at 11:30, am for vetting.

Part of the story adopted via The New Vision