Parliament’s Committee on Appointments convened on Wednesday morning to vet the newly appointed Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lino Anguzu and two other nominees for the membership of the Education Service Commission.
The customarily closed door committee meeting was chaired by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa.
Lino Anguzu, a seasoned lawyer, has served as Assistant DPP and deputy head of the International Crimes Department, leading high-profile cases involving terrorism and complex crimes.
His appointment, following President Museveni’s announcement on October 28, aims to restore substantial leadership to the Office of the DPP, which has been vacant since the appointment of Jane Frances Abodo as Principal Judge in August 2025.
Hon. Opolot Jacob Richards, a nominee for the ESC, is a former Member of Parliament for Pallisa County (2011-2021). Holding a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Opolot has a strong background in educational policy and peer education initiatives, including HIV/AIDS awareness programs. His nomination signals a focus on leveraging experienced legislators to enhance the ESC’s mandate of recruiting and developing competent education personnel.
Rosie Agoi, the second nominee for ESC, currently serves as Secretary General of the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (UNATCOM). With a distinguished career in educational administration, Agoi is expected to contribute to the ESC’s mission of improving staffing planning and institutional capacity. Her role at UNATCOM underscores her commitment to advancing education quality, aligning with the commission’s goal of delivering efficient education services.
The committee’s report will be sent to the appointing authority, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Who is Lino Anguzu?
Until his appointment as the new DPP, he was the Assistant DPP, having grown through the ranks from the lower position of State Attorney. From 2019 to date, he had been the head of the department of International Crimes, whose roles include the management of complex criminal cases, directing police investigations, providing policy direction, planning, and general administration. From 2015 to 2019, Mr Anguzu, while at the rank of Senior State Attorney, served as the prosecutor at the International Crimes Department, and he was responsible for prosecuting the first international crimes cases at the International Crimes Division of the High Court, a division that specialises in handling cases of terrorism and human trafficking.
Between 2004 and 2010, Mr Anuguzu, who was at the rank of State Attorney, served as the Resident State Attorney in Mbale and Arua districts, where his responsibility was to head the district prosecution services. Before he joined the office of the DPP, Mr Anguzu, between 2003 and 2004, served as the Legal Officer with FIDA Uganda. His duties involved providing legal aid to indigent persons on a pro bono basis.
Education background
The new DPP designate started his primary education at Arua Demonstration School, in Arua City, from where he sat his Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) in 1991. He then joined St Joseph’s College Ombaci in Arua, where he sat for his Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) in 1995. In 1998, he sat for his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education from St Charles Lwanga College, Koboko.
He then joined Makerere University to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Laws, which he completed in 2003. He later joined the Law Development Center (LDC) for the post-graduate diploma in legal practice the following year. He also holds a diploma in Project Planning and Management from Uganda Management Institute UMI and a Master of Public Infrastructure Management from Makerere University.
High-profile cases he has prosecuted
Dr Kizza Besigye
Given his seniority in the office of the DPP, Mr Anguzu prosecuted Dr Besigye in the treason case following the disputed presidential elections in 2016. Dr Besigye had been accused of illegally swearing-in himself in as the President of Uganda. Dr Besigye case file was transferred to Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court. The office of the DPP, after almost four years without prosecuting Dr Besigye, withdrew the case against him. Then DPP, in an interview, attributed the delay in prosecuting the treason case to delays police investigations.
2010 Kampala bombings
Mr Anguzu was instrumental in co-prosecuting the high-profile terrorism case commonly known as the Kampala twin bombing case. He deputised the lead prosecutor, Susan Okalany (now a High Court Judge), following the murder of the then lead prosecutor, Joan Kagezi, in 2015. The 13 Kenyan and Ugandan suspects, who were later found culpable, were behind the twin bombings at Ethiopian Village in Kabalagala and Rugby Club in Kyadondo that left at least 76 football fans dead. Mr Anguzu, while appearing before then presiding Judge Alfonse Owiny-Dollo (now Chief Justice) in 2021, asked for the maximum punishment of death by hanging for the heinous crime that the accused had committed. Justice Dollo sentenced them to life imprisonment, the second-highest punishment in criminal law.