The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions says it has no State Attorneys in 38 districts across Uganda, forcing the transfer of some criminal case files to neighbouring districts and leaving others without prosecutors to handle them.
Director of Public Prosecutions Lino Anguzu said the staffing gap is affecting the delivery of prosecution services, particularly in districts where there are no government prosecutors at all. He said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has been forced to make difficult decisions, including transferring case files from districts without State Attorneys to the nearest districts with prosecutors.
Anguzu disclosed the staffing gaps on Tuesday while addressing a press conference in Kampala on the performance of the ODPP and its efforts to strengthen Uganda’s criminal justice system.
Among the districts without State Attorneys are Rwampara, Rukiga, Madi-Okollo, Buvuma and Kalaki.
Anguzu said the situation is particularly concerning because some of the affected districts have no prosecutors at all, leaving police prosecutors to handle cases despite concerns about their capacity to manage complex criminal matters.“We have 38 districts where we are not represented,” Anguzu said. He said the absence of State Attorneys means some cases have to be moved elsewhere, increasing the burden on prosecutors in neighbouring districts and potentially delaying the handling of cases for people seeking justice.
The staffing shortage comes as the ODPP reports improvements in its overall prosecution performance. Anguzu said the conviction rate for Gender-Based Violence cases have increased from 30 percent in 2019 to 80 percent in the 2025/2026 financial year. He attributed the improvement largely to specialised training for prosecutors handling gender-based violence cases. The ODPP reported an overall conviction rate of 67 percent during the financial year.
Anguzu also said prosecution-guided investigations and improved handling of corruption cases had contributed to conviction rates of between 80 and 90 percent in those cases. Through its anti-corruption work, the ODPP says it has recovered 15 billion shillings and land valued at approximately 1.6 billion shillings. The office also says 28,971 cases have been concluded through plea bargaining over the past five years, a measure intended to reduce the backlog of criminal cases.
Since the introduction of daily hearings for capital cases in 2022, the ODPP says 4,640 such cases had been concluded by the end of the 2025/2026 financial year.
Among the prominent cases prosecuted by the ODPP during the past year was that of former Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs Agnes Nandutu, who was convicted in the Karamoja iron sheets case for dealing with suspect property.
The prosecution also secured a death sentence against Christopher Okello Onyum for the murder of four children at a daycare centre in Ggaba. Nine accused persons were convicted in the case involving the kidnap and murder of Susan Magara and received sentences ranging from death to life imprisonment.
The ODPP also secured convictions in the Masaka spate of murder cases, commonly known as the Bijambiya cases. The accused received sentences of 45 years and 25 years’ imprisonment for murder and aggravated robbery, respectively.
Beyond prosecutions, the ODPP is expanding its use of technology to improve the management of cases. Anguzu said the office is accelerating the rollout of the Prosecution Case Management Information System, PROCAMIS, alongside other data management tools.
The system is intended to digitise prosecution records, improve information sharing and strengthen monitoring of cases. The long-term goal, Anguzu said, is to establish a fully digitised prosecution system in which prosecutors can securely access case files electronically without having to travel with physical files between upcountry stations.
He said this would reduce the time required to process cases and help address the case backlog. The ODPP has also expanded specialised training for prosecutors in areas including gender-based violence, terrorism, trafficking in persons, land-related crimes and cybercrime.
The office has developed guidelines covering decisions to charge, prosecution-guided investigations, plea bargaining, trafficking in persons, land-related crimes and mutual legal assistance. Construction of a Prosecutors’ Academy has also started in Nakasongola, while the ODPP’s Virtual Learning Academy is being used to train prosecutors. The office has increased its vehicle fleet to about 235 vehicles to improve the mobility of prosecutors, particularly those serving hard-to-reach areas.
Last week, the ODPP handed over 32 new vehicles to staff, mainly those working in hard-to-reach areas. The office has also expanded community engagement through quarterly community barazas, public relations surveys, sensitisation programmes, open days and radio talk shows.
The engagements are intended to improve public understanding of the prosecution mandate, strengthen accountability and provide channels for public feedback. However, Anguzu acknowledged that the ODPP continues to face significant challenges, including a growing caseload, shortages of prosecutors, limited funding, increasingly complex and emerging crimes, difficulties in managing witnesses and misconceptions about the prosecution process.
The shortage of State Attorneys therefore remains one of the key constraints facing the prosecution service, despite the improvements the ODPP reports in conviction rates, case disposal and the use of technology. For residents of the 38 districts without ODPP representation, the immediate challenge remains access to prosecutors without having to rely on services based in neighbouring districts-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
