The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has been directed by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC)-Central to submit details of case files that should have been transferred from the military court martial to civilian courts.

This came as officials from the ODPP, led by Accounting Officer Agnes Kainza Nzogi had appeared before the committee, chaired by Butambala County MP, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi to respond to audit queries for the 2023/2024 financial year.

During the session, Kivumbi sought clarity on the progress of implementing the Supreme Court ruling that bars civilians from being tried in military courts.

In response, the Deputy DPP, George William Byansi stated that while some files had been received, the exact number remained unknown as they awaited more.

As a result, Kivumbi directed the ODPP to submit all received files along with their particulars.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has been faulted by the PAC for contributing to case backlogs.

This follows the Auditor General’s report for the 2023/2024 financial year which revealed that out of the 5,000 planned cases, the ODPP handled only 1,900.

During an interface with the committee, it was further revealed that despite failing to meet its target, the DPP utilized the entire allocated budget of 23 billion shillings on unplanned activities.

Among the expenditures questioned were, 500 million shillings spent on foreign travel and 700 million shillings on organizing symposiums.

The committee also discovered that the DPP’s Office is severely underfunded, operating at only 30 % capacity, further affecting its efficiency.

By Francis Lubega

27 February 2025

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