Abodo appointment as principal judge draws mixed reactions

The appointment of Jane Frances Abodo, the outgoing director of public prosecutions (DPP), as the new principal judge presents a significant shift in the judiciary.

In the past, such senior appointments used to go through thorough vetting, with experience playing a key role. At just 51 years, Abodo becomes the first female to hold the position.

When one considers that even her predecessor, Flavian Zeija, is also still a young judge (56 years) and is already the deputy chief justice, it becomes clear that President Museveni has of late used the yardstick of pragmatism and patriotism as the most important virtues.

According to lawyer Tonny Tumukunde, the most important thing is that Abodo meets the criterion for appointment.

“She has served as a lawyer of integrity, as a judge and DPP for over 21 years. By years of practice, she passed the test of appointment. There is a shift from the old guard to a new much younger guard. The president has always emphasized this both in his speeches and appointments,” he says.

“The president’s agenda in all arms of government is now to cause fresh appointments that will effectively protect the gains of the NRM government. All the people that have been appointed have the requisite experience and integrity bestowed on them to carry out those functions. No one doubts his young guards. But also, with a lot of case backlog, technology advancement and improved education, there is need to appoint young people in government. Being young with experience is such a good indicator of human resource growth.”

However, Isaac Ssemakadde, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) president, disagrees. He says public trust in the judiciary has reached an all-time low with Abodo’s appointment and that it is a recipe for disaster.

“How did she qualify for this appointment given her blatant defiance of the Supreme court order to ensure the transfer civilians from the military courts? Her five-year tenure as a bent prosecutor, marked by allegations of bias and deliberate weaponization of criminal justice to destroy political opponents of her appointing authority, raises serious concerns about her capacity to preserve judicial independence and integrity,” he says.

“With the office of the principal judge already largely relegated to a ceremonial mascot and an artery of external influence, Abodo’s appointment by a discredited Judicial Service Commission, through an opaque process, will likely hasten the judiciary’s decline. It is my hope that this downward trajectory will ultimately force a reckoning, making the need for radical surgery of our judiciary undeniable, even to those who have previously tolerated incompetent leadership under the guise of feminism.”

As the administrative head of the High court, it will remains to be seen how Abodo will navigate the delicate paths of the judciary.