Justice Jane Frances Abodo did her best to wear a poker face after coming through a vetting process undertaken by the Appointments Committee of the House on Tuesday. Justice Abodo, the erstwhile Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), was last week given the green light by President Museveni to run the rule over the office of the Principal Judge (PJ). Since Justice Flavian Zeija’s preferment six months ago to the position of Deputy Chief Justice after the retirement of Justice Richard Buteera, Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga has been holding the fort as PJ. On Tuesday, Justice Abodo offered only laconic replies to questions that came from the media scrum that greeted her following the vetting process. The erstwhile DPP said she will outline her plans once the parliamentary Appointments Committee gives her the all clear to assume the reins of the PJ. Opposition lawmakers who spoke to the media after the vetting process shared reservations that they expressed about Justice Abodo’s appointment. They, for one, pointed out how the office of the DPP has handled the constitutional right of bail for all gingerly, if she acknowledged it at all. Others stopped short of accusing her of being complicit in the failure to transfer files of civilians facing judicial proceedings in military tribunal after the country’s apex court raised a red flag over the same in February. Last but by no means least, the wisdom of a prosecutor morphing into a judge was questioned. The default position of a prosecutor, one lawmaker opined, is to keep people behind bars. The House committee also vetted on Tuesday the nominees for the positions of Chairperson and members of the Leadership Code Tribunal, and is expected to furnish President Museveni with a report at the soonest.
In what was intended to be a show of strength, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), one of Uganda’s youngest parties, on Tuesday unveiled a string of aspirants denied the National Unity Platform or NUP flag at local government level. They were headlined by Julius Mutebi Nsubuga, the incumbent Mayor of Kira Municipality. This comes as a four-strong disputes resolving committee under the stewardship of Dr Moses Kanaabi attempts to smooth over the damage wrought by a vetting process that produced a number of high-profile rejections. The rejects include Latif Ssebagala in Kawempe Division, who has listed a series of eyebrow-raising claims. On Tuesday, besides basking in the glory of successfully getting some of the aforesaid rejects into its tent, the PFF revealed that Erias Lukwago will face NUP’s Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga in a tasty showdown for the Kampala City Lord Mayoral position. Lukwago, the incumbent, will be looking to get clearance to enjoy a fourth term in the Lord Mayor’s coveted chair at City Hall. Balimwezo, who is the current Nakawa East lawmaker, says he intends to do what Lukwago has failed to do across fifteen years—deliver a clean city. Balimwezo will not be the only NUP member bowing out of the House. On Tuesday, Derrick Nyeko, the Makindye East lawmaker, revealed that “I have made the difficult decision not to offer myself for election in the coming polls.” This choice, he added, “does not diminish the journey we have walked together, nor the victories we have achieved. It is my hope that the spirit of unity, resilience, and service to our people will remain stronger than ever.”
Kampala Capital City Authority’s technical wing once again appeared before the House Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), Tuesday, with the issue of the Nakivubo Drainage Channel proving to be unsurprisingly sticky. Benon Kigenyi, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Deputy Executive Director, was tasked to explain why there was a delay in the processing of approval after Kiham Enterprises filed its plans at City Hall back in February. It is said that the delay is what forced President Museveni’s hand as witnessed in a 2 August 2025 letter he addressed to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja. In the aforesaid letter, the President described as “godly” a proposal by Hamis Kiggundu of Kiham Enterprises to erect commercial structures atop the nine-kilometre drainage channel. Kigenyi told COSASE that the delay to get back to Kiham Enterprises was caused by the red tape created by an environmental social impact assessment.
Prof Waswa Balunywa was on Tuesday morning charged and remanded to Luzira prison. The former Makerere University Business School (MUBS) principal, who—in many respects—became an institution at the ivory tower, faced charges of irregular staff recruitments when he was arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court. Chief Magistrate Racheal Nakyazze dead-batted the 69-year-old academic’s bail application after poring over a charge sheet that alleges that accused appointed James Arike, Nathan Nuwagira and Nimrod Kakayi as Administrative Assistants despite all three not ticking relevant boxes. The state also intends to open another case file against Prof Balunywa that contends he irregularly recruited a little over 100 academic staff, 17 administrative officers, and 69 support staff.