Hon. Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS
It is exactly 2 years and 28 days since I was a Prosecutor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). Prior to going to the Bench, I worked in the ODPP for 19 years. I have enjoyed this short period at the Bench as a Judge of the High Court (Criminal Division).
I am now back to my alma mater on special assignment as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of our country.
It is with deep and profound gratitude that I thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Uganda, on my own behalf and that of my family, for his confidence in me.
First, for appointing me as a Judge of the High Court two years ago, and now, for this new assignment as Director of Public Prosecutions of the Republic of Uganda. This is a historic moment for me, a historic moment for the people of Karamoja, a historic moment for Prosecutors, as well as a historic moment for the women of Uganda.
I note the remarkable progress made by the previous DPPs, especially recent initiatives by Hon. Justice Mike Chibita and Hon. Justice Richard Buteera. Key among these include deepening the ODPP presence and closer supervision of prosecutors through the establishment of 16 Regional Offices across the country, construction of 32 new offices and expansion of ODPP presence to about 108 stations across the country, establishment of specialized departments among other initiatives.
I also extend my gratitude to Mr. Elem-Ogwal, the Deputy DPP (Prosecutions) and the entire Top Management of the ODPP for ably standing in the gap when Justice Mike Chibita was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court.
MR. ODUMBI JAMES OWERE
Ag. Deputy DPP – Prosecution
Odumbi James Owere is the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions – International Affairs. He heads the Directorate of International Affairs. He assumed his current position in March 2020.
He joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a Pupil State Attorney on 11th August 1994. He served as Resident State Attorney in several Districts and was confirmed in service on 22nd August 1997. On 11th February 2002 he obtained accelerated promotion to the rank of Principal State Attorney.
On 1st December 2003 Mr. Odumbi was seconded to the Inspectorate of Government to help in building capacity. He was appointed as Head of Prosecution Unit and elevated to a Senior Principal Inspectorate Officer in an Acting Capacity. The secondment was recalled in February 2007 and Mr. Odumbi was appointed to Head the Fraud Unit of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
While he was Head of the Fraud Unit, Mr. Odumbi got promoted to the Rank of Senior Principal State Attorney on 16th August 2007. He oversaw the Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program in the Directorate and also coordinated Global Funds, and NAADs investigations. The latter led to a number of very successful prosecutions and recovery of lost funds before the Anti-Corruption Court.
In October 2011, Mr. Odumbi obtained a two-year contract assignment with the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTF) as an Expert Prosecutor in the Gambia. He obtained leave without pay, and on completion of his assignment returned to the Directorate in October 2013. He was appointed to help set up and Head the newly created Land Crimes Department. A task he executed perfectly well.
On 17 December 2015 Mr. Odumbi was appointed to the rank of Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and tasked to Head the Inspectorate and Quality Assurance Department of the Institution. On 4 September 2017, he was elevated to the rank of Principal Assistant Director and placed in charge of the Directorate of Inspections, Quality Assurance, Research and Training (IQA/R&T). Mr. Odumbi continues to Head the Directorate of IQA/R&T, while also participating in other key Top Management engagements and assignments. Key amongst them is managing the contract, and implementation of Prosecution Case Administration and Management Information System (PROCAMIS), a strategic Management and information system technology, operating in the Office of the DPP.
On 24th February 2020 Mr. Odumbi was elevated to the position of Deputy Director in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr. Odumbi is a holder of an LLB (Hons) of Makerere University of 1992, a post Graduate Diploma from Law Development Centre of 1993, and was enrolled as an advocate of the Courts of Judicature of Uganda, on 24th January 1996.
Over the years, Mr Odumbi has attended several specialized professional development programs in areas of criminal investigations, prosecutions, trial advocacy and general management. He holds a diploma and is a Trainer of Trainers in Trial advocacy. He has extensively trained in investigations, prosecutions and management of white collar crimes, financial and economic crimes, fraud and cyber-crime.
Mr. Odumbi also, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Studies (DIMA) from the Uganda Management Institute (UMI), Kampala of September 2004, and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) of Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI) of November 2015.
Mr. Odumbi has handled and continues to handle several delicate, high profile and complex cases for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions at various levels of the Criminal Justice Process.
MR. ODUMBI JAMES OWERE
Deputy DPP – International Affairs
Odumbi James Owere is the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions – International Affairs. He heads the Directorate of International Affairs. He assumed his current position in March 2020.
He joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a Pupil State Attorney on 11th August 1994. He served as Resident State Attorney in several Districts and was confirmed in service on 22nd August 1997. On 11th February 2002 he obtained accelerated promotion to the rank of Principal State Attorney.
On 1st December 2003 Mr. Odumbi was seconded to the Inspectorate of Government to help in building capacity. He was appointed as Head of Prosecution Unit and elevated to a Senior Principal Inspectorate Officer in an Acting Capacity. The secondment was recalled in February 2007 and Mr. Odumbi was appointed to Head the Fraud Unit of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
While he was Head of the Fraud Unit, Mr. Odumbi got promoted to the Rank of Senior Principal State Attorney on 16th August 2007. He oversaw the Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program in the Directorate and also coordinated Global Funds, and NAADs investigations. The latter led to a number of very successful prosecutions and recovery of lost funds before the Anti-Corruption Court.
In October 2011, Mr. Odumbi obtained a two-year contract assignment with the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTF) as an Expert Prosecutor in the Gambia. He obtained leave without pay, and on completion of his assignment returned to the Directorate in October 2013. He was appointed to help set up and Head the newly created Land Crimes Department. A task he executed perfectly well.
On 17 December 2015 Mr. Odumbi was appointed to the rank of Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and tasked to Head the Inspectorate and Quality Assurance Department of the Institution. On 4 September 2017, he was elevated to the rank of Principal Assistant Director and placed in charge of the Directorate of Inspections, Quality Assurance, Research and Training (IQA/R&T). Mr. Odumbi continues to Head the Directorate of IQA/R&T, while also participating in other key Top Management engagements and assignments. Key amongst them is managing the contract, and implementation of Prosecution Case Administration and Management Information System (PROCAMIS), a strategic Management and information system technology, operating in the Office of the DPP.
On 24th February 2020 Mr. Odumbi was elevated to the position of Deputy Director in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr. Odumbi is a holder of an LLB (Hons) of Makerere University of 1992, a post Graduate Diploma from Law Development Centre of 1993, and was enrolled as an advocate of the Courts of Judicature of Uganda, on 24th January 1996.
Over the years, Mr Odumbi has attended several specialized professional development programs in areas of criminal investigations, prosecutions, trial advocacy and general management. He holds a diploma and is a Trainer of Trainers in Trial advocacy. He has extensively trained in investigations, prosecutions and management of white collar crimes, financial and economic crimes, fraud and cyber-crime.
Mr. Odumbi also, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Studies (DIMA) from the Uganda Management Institute (UMI), Kampala of September 2004, and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) of Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI) of November 2015.
Mr. Odumbi has handled and continues to handle several delicate, high profile and complex cases for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions at various levels of the Criminal Justice Process.
MR. GEORGE WILLIAM BYANSI
Deputy DPP – Inspections, Quality Assurance, Research And Training
Mr. George William Byansi is the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions – Inspections, Quality Assurance, Research and Training. He heads the Directorate of Inspections, Quality Assurance, Research and Training. He assumed his current position in February 2022.
Mr. Byansi has worked with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions since June 1999, when he joined as a Pupil State Attorney.
Over the years, he has served the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in various stations and capacities, quickly rising through the ranks.
He worked as a Resident State Attorney in several districts until he was elevated to a Regional Officer and later Head of Department. He worked as Resident State Attorney in Kabale, Masaka, Hoima, Tororo and Makindye before he was assigned higher responsibilities of Assistant DPP and posted to Soroti as the pioneer Regional Officer where he was charged with supervising the 14 ODPP stations (Resident State Attorney and Resident State Prosecutor) in Teso and Karamoja. Due to his hard work, he didn’t serve in Soroti for long before he was spotted and brought back to Headquarters to head the then newly created Department of General Case Work to manage and coordinate high court sessions, champion plea bargain sessions and streamline the handling of general crime cases across the ODPP countrywide.
In 2018, he was promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and moved to head the Department of Field Operations where he has been up to his present elevation to Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.
As the head of Field Operations he has been responsible for planning, managing, monitoring and evaluating the performance of all ODPP field and regional offices as well as maintaining effective communication and coordination between them and the Head Office. He has also been responsible for establishing and maintaining collaborations and linkages between field stations and other key stakeholders in criminal justice at the district and national level.
He has been instrumental in the successful operationalisation of the ODPP regional offices in 16 major cities, municipalities and towns of Arua, Gulu, Fort Portal, Jinja, Kabale, Kampala, Lira, Masaka, Masindi, Mbale, Mbarara, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakawa and Soroti.
Mr Byansi has been key in extending the presence and impact of the DPP’s office to more districts and courts across the country. Although gaps still exist due to resource constraints, ODPP now boasts of a presence in 95 out of the current 135 districts at 143 locations countrywide, with most of the offices in now ODPP owned premises.
He caretook the Directorate of Management Support Services from September 2021 to February 2022, in addition to his duties of Head of Department of Field Operations.
He is very familiar with policy, planning, budgeting, procurement and performance management issues not only in the ODPP but in the entire Justice, Law and Order Sector.
Mr. Byansi holds an LLB(Hons) from Makerere University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from LDC, a Post Graduate Diploma in Project planning & Management from Uganda Management Institute (UMI) and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI).
MR. JOHN BAPTIST ASIIMWE
Deputy DPP – Management Support Services
Mr. John Baptist Asiimwe is the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions – Management Support Services. He heads the Directorate of Management Support Services. He assumed his current position in March 2022.
Before becoming a Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, he was a Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions. He has been a Public Prosecutor for the last 23 years having joined the office as Pupil State Attorney in 1999.
He has worked in and headed various field offices of the ODPP including Rukungiri, Fort Portal, Kabale, and Mbarara. He also worked at the Head Office and as Regional Officer, Mbarara. He is one of the Prosecutors who started the War Crimes Unit of the ODPP in 2008 which later become the International Crimes Department. He headed the Anti- Terrorism Unit, International Crimes Department, and International Cooperation and Asset Recovery Departments.
Mr. Asiimwe is a seasoned Public Prosecutor who has handled and prosecuted several complex cases of corruption, terrorism and related offences, human trafficking, drug trafficking and other transnational border crimes, murder, aggravated defilement, rape, aggravated robbery among others in various Courts of Judicature in the country. Notably is the 2010 Kampala terror (twin bombings’) case and the re-trial of the Kato Kajubi case in Masaka in 2012.
He is trained in prosecution and investigation of International Crimes, Economic Crimes, Asset Tracing and Recovery, Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism Financing, Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Human and Drug Trafficking and other transnational border crimes. He is a Trainer of Trainers in Anti-Money Laundering, Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Terrorism Investigations. He is also trained in Trial Advocacy and Supervisory Skill Development.
He has attended several management courses both within and outside the country and executed various administrative and management assignments. In addition, he has chaired and participated in various policy, planning and management assignments.
In the execution of his duties, he has trained, supervised and mentored several officers within the ODPP.
Mr. Asiimwe holds a Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA) of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (Dip. LP) from Law Development Centre, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) from Makerere University and several certificates in both professional and management courses from both local and international Institutions. He is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda.
MS. AGNES KAINZA NZOGI
Accounting Officer/Undersecretary
Ms. Agnes Kainza Nzogi is the Accounting Officer/Undersecretary of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). She holds a Master of Development Studies from the Hague Institute of Social Studies, the Netherlands and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences from Makerere University.
Ms. Agnes has worked with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Sironko District Local Government and Compassion International.
MS. VIOLAH TUCUNGWIRWE
Principal Policy Analyst
Ms. Violah Tucungwirwe is the ODPP’s Principal Policy Analyst. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Development Studies, with Specialization in; Public Policy and Management from Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She underwent a training in John Maxwell’s 12 Irrefutable
Laws of Leadership.
Having joined the ODPP in 2010 from where she is currently heading Policy and Planning, Violah is a career Public Policy Analyst with experience of over 10 years as public policy practitioner. She is a self-
motivated team player with a great passion for innovation and knowledge sharing. She has a demonstrated zeal for results and often delivered within schedule. Before joining the ODPP, she worked with: The Inter-religious and International Federation for World Peace Uganda (IIFWP-U); Uganda Red Cross, UNHCR and GIZ in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement; Office of the
Prime Minister Uganda.
She has undertaken numerous training courses, including: Study placement in HCLU (Hungarian Civil Liberties Union) Budapest Hungary – an organization that handles Drug Policy Issues, Central European University in Budapest for Policy Formulation, HIVOS (Humanitarian Institute of Development Cooperation) Netherlands for Project and Budget Practical and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Royal Netherlands Kingdom for Policy and Project Monitoring and Evaluation. These exposed her to European Approaches to Policy and Project Processes. She has also undergone various training courses in policy formulation & analysis, leadership, planning & budgeting, project formulation & report writing, and
Gender Justice aimed at applying Gender Lens in data collection, analysis and reporting.
Ms. Violah has a wealth of accomplishments, a few among them are: Provided technical guidance on policy development and management; Supported formulation of program public policies, participated in identifying
best policy options to address issues that affect criminal prosecutions, and options to inform Mutual Legal Assistance framework; Designed a Concept Note to UNOCHA – Office of the High Commission (Uganda) – UN Human Rights for funding to train ODPP officers in Human Rights (2015);
Reviewed and participated in profiling ODPP performance indicators and development of ODPP Strategic Plans aligned to the National Planning Framework of the National Development Plan (NDP); Led the team that drafted a project paper on Training and Outreaches on Prosecution of Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) crimes funded by UN Women;
Took lead in drafting of the concept for the project on Enhancing Prosecution Services For All (EPSFA); Spearheaded drafting of concept paper for Assistance to Prosecutions Project Phase II that involved components of Retooling the ODPP, and Prosecution Case Management;
Participated in drafting Prosecution Guidelines, and Witness Protection and Victim Empowerment Guidelines, and Guidelines on Requesting Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) from Uganda, and various ODPP Policy & Planning documents.