On Saturday 30th August, news was broke that Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, the first ever Uganda’s first female Director of Public Prosecutions, has been appointed the country’s first Principal Judge.
This is not a common trend for some body to be appointed the first female in more than two powerful offices that are known to have been male dominated in the past years. Abodo, who is a simple soft spoken lady but hardworking has made history in this.
Having been appointed by President Museveni on 2nd April 2020 appointed her as Director of Public Prosecutions, replacing justice Mike Chibita who had been appointed Supreme Court judge in 2019, Abodo has now been appointed Principal Judge replacing Dr. Flavian Zeija who was appointed the Deputy Chief Justice early this year.
Abodo was born in the Karamoja sub-region, she is 9th-born among 62 siblings. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University, the oldest and largest public university in the country. She also holds a postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, obtained from the Law Development Centre, in Kampala. She also has a Master of Laws was awarded by Trinity College Dublin, in Ireland.
Before being appointed the Director of Public Prosecutions, she served as a High Court Judge, in the court’s Criminal Division, from February 2018 until April 2020.
Abodo worked in the office of the DPP for eight years, starting from 2007. She started out as a trainee state attorney and gradually rose through the ranks, of state attorney, senior state attorney, principal state attorney, assistant DPP to senior assistant DPP. At the time she was appointed as a High Court Justice, Abodo was Senior Assistant DPP and was the head of the Anti Corruption desk in the office of the DPP.
In 2015, Abodo was recognized by the Uganda Law Society (ULS) as the best prosecutor of the year. That year, her office recorded the highest conviction rates in the country.
