President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has initiated a significant change in Uganda’s leadership for fighting corruption by appointing Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala as the new Inspector General of Government (IGG), replacing Beti Kamya.
The appointment, which maintains the continuity of the Deputy IGGs (Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria and Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe), signals a strategic pivot toward judicial authority in Uganda’s key anti-graft institution.
Kamya, who is a veteran politician, has been IGG since July 2021, but her tenure has been characterised with many challenges, including, among others, accusations of failure to combat corruption in government offices to the core, hence the President’s decision to replace her with a sitting High Court Judge (Justice Naluzze) carries substantial implications for the fight against corruption.
Focus on Judicial and Technical Expertise
The selection of Justice Naluzze as the new IGG is widely interpreted by leadership experts as a move by the Presidency to inject unimpeachable legal and technical expertise into the Inspectorate of Government (IG), in the following ways;
Elevating Credibility
Moving from a political appointee to a judicial officer is often seen as an effort to depoliticise the office and elevate its credibility. Hence, an IGG drawn from the judiciary brings years of experience in evidence evaluation, prosecution, and ethical legal practice, qualities essential for successfully investigating and prosecuting complex corruption cases.
Enhancing Prosecution Success
The IG is mandated not only to investigate but also to prosecute corruption. Justice Naluzze’s background is expected to strengthen the Inspectorate’s capacity to gather iron-clad evidence and secure convictions, a persistent challenge for the body in past years, which made it so hard for Kamya to execute her job maximally.
The ‘Judge’ Factor
Placing a sitting Judge at the helm of the anti-corruption body signals the President’s preference for a results-oriented, systematic, and legally robust approach over one that may be perceived as being tied to political cycles or manoeuvres.
Transition from Political to Technical Oversight
Kamya, a veteran politician and former Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, led the IG through a period focused on public engagement and streamlining processes. Her replacement marks a clear departure from that political profile in the following ways:
Shift in Mandate Emphasis
The change suggests the President is moving the Inspectorate’s focus from broad public awareness and political manoeuvring towards the specific, technical work of investigation, asset recovery, and prosecution.
Continuity in Leadership
By retaining the two existing Deputy IGGs, Dr. Okiria and Muhairwe, the President ensures that institutional knowledge and ongoing operational plans are preserved. This provides a bridge between the previous administration and the new judicial leadership.
The appointment underscores the President’s commitment to continually re-evaluating the leadership necessary to tackle high-level graft.
With the appointments now forwarded to Parliament for vetting, the country awaits formal confirmation of the new leadership set to guide the Inspectorate of Government in its next crucial phase.