KAMPALA -- Mr. Kiryowa Kiwanuka was today handed the office of the Attorney General by the outgoing AG Mr. William Byaruhanga during a ceremony at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs presided over by the Solicitor General and attended by ministry staff from various departments and directorates.

Mr. Byaruhanga, who revealed that he had known and interacted with Mr. Kiryowa said the appointing authority made the right choice for his successor. 

“Handing over this office to Mr. Kiryowa is satisfying, why because I have known and interacted with him for many years.  Certainly, I know he is patriotic, professional, and has a high sense of duty and above all, impeccable qualities of a lawyer,” he said.

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Published: July 14, 2021

KAMPALA -- The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) visited the new Attorney General (AG) of Uganda Hon. Kiryoowa Kiwanuka, on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, to streamline coordination and ensure better working relations between the two institutions.

The visit which was initiated by the Attorney General himself saw the Commission present to him a number of issues affecting its operations.

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KAMPALA -- Mr. Kiryowa Kiwanuka has been appointed new Attorney General in the latest cabinet announced on Tuesday, 8th June 2021.

The Attorney General of Uganda is the principal legal adviser to the government of Uganda. The office of the attorney general is a cabinet-level government position in the country.

Kiwanuka takes over from William Byaruhanga who held the position from June 2016.

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KAMPALA - The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has today signed a consultancy contract with M/S Symbion (U) Limited to provide consultancy services for the design, documentation review and supervision of the construction of the JLOS House project. The event held at the Ministry’s office at Baumann House on Parliament Avenue was presided over by the Solicitor General, Mr. Francis Atoke. 

Below are facts and figures from today’s contract signing ceremony:

1. Consultancy contract signed for the design, documentation review and supervision of the construction of the JLOS House office park (located on Plot 98-102, Katalima Road - Naguru) and Uganda Police headquarters (located on Plot 40-96, Katalima Road – Naguru).

2. Contractor: M/S Symbion (U) Limited

3. The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to take the lead in implementation of the JLOS House project on behalf of JLOS institutions.

4. Project Beneficiary institutions: Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the Judiciary (High Court), Ministry of Internal Affairs, Uganda Registration Services Bureau, Uganda Prisons, Judicial Service Commission, Uganda Law Society, Uganda Human Rights Commission, Uganda Law Reform Commission, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Tax Appeals Tribunal, Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution among others.

5. The project to provide a total of 60,040 square meters (sq.) of office space and parking for over 2,300 vehicles

6. Construction to cost approx. USD $60 million (about Shs. 213.3 billion)

7. JLOS House project to save Government of Uganda a substantial amount of operational funds in rent (currently estimated at USD $6,983,949 annually for about 20,000 square meters).

8. Over the next seven (7) years, the JLOS consumptive expenditure on office space at the current rate is projected at USD $66.5m (for 20,000 sq.) and USD $199.2m (for 60,040 sq.). This is more than the projected cost of construction of the JLOS House.

9. Tender for construction expected to be issued in the 1^st quarter of FY 2021/2022 (between July and September 2021).

Published: June 24 2021 / For more information, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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KAMPALA -- The Hon. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu held a meeting with H.E Dr. Karin Boven, Ambassador of the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands to Uganda on the 16^th of March 2021, who called on him at the Ministry’s Headquarters on Parliament Avenue. The meeting that was also attended by Mr. Francis Atoke, the Solicitor General and officials from the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) Secretariat, was a courtesy call by the ambassador as she starts her tenure as chairperson of the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) Development Partners Group (DPG).  

Prof. Kamuntu and H.E Dr. Boven, discussed matters of great importance to the nation, and to JLOS in particular. The issues discussed ranged from upholding the rule of law, respect for human rights, as well as strengthening of the commercial, transitional and criminal justice delivery mechanisms, notably the need to tackle the case backlog challenge in the courts of law, emphasising the fact that justice delayed is justice denied.

H.E Dr. Boven applauded the Sector for taking the lead in developing game-changing innovations in access to justice but also shared her concerns relating to the image of the Sector in the wake of pre-election violence that was witnessed in November 2020. She further expressed concerns on the delay by the Government to release the report on the investigations into the alleged human rights violations that were committed during that period. 

The Hon. Minister assured Dr. Boven of the Government's commitment to publish the report as soon as investigations are complete and that those culpable in human rights abuses would be dealt with under the law. He emphasised Government's commitment to ensuring peace, security and stability and pointed out the history of the NRM government is rooted in adhering to the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Mr. Francis Atoke, the Solicitor General on his part thanked the Royal Kingdom of Netherlands for the consistent support to the Justice, Law and Order Sector since its inception in 1999. He said that this support has been instrumental in enhancing access to justice for all Ugandans and has contributed to the significant improvement in commercial justice and ease of doing business in the country.

Ms. Rachel Odoi-Musoke, the JLOS Senior Technical Advisor thanked the Dutch Embassy in Kampala for taking a lead in addressing access to justice needs and challenges of refugees and their host communities in Uganda. This specific focus on the unique justice needs of refugees has made registration, identification and documentation easy and also improved relationships with host communities. 

H.E Dr. Karin Boven takes over the Chair of the JLOS Development Partners Group following its recent handover by Dr. Roswitha Kremser, Head of the Austrian Delegation to Uganda.

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Published: 16th March 2021

KAMPALA - The Hon. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu has met with the Austrian Head of Delegation to Uganda, Dr. Roswitha Kremser who called upon him at the Ministry’s offices on Parliament Avenue.  The meeting was a courtesy call by the Head of Delegation as she winds up her tenure as chairperson of the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) -Development Partners Group (DPG). She was accompanied by Dr. Katja Kershbaumer, the Governance Advisor at the Austria Development Cooperation. 

Hon. Prof. Kamuntu and Dr. Kremser discussed matters of great importance to the nation and to the JLOS Sector in particular, which ranged from upholding the rule of law, eliminating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), upholding Human Rights and promoting Justice delivery mechanisms in Uganda, notably the need to regularise criminal sessions in the judiciary and the issue of pre-trial detentions by the Uganda Police. 

Her Excellency laid out some of the achievements registered during her leadership which include the increase in the use of technology in the delivery of Justice(E-Justice), reduction in case backlog and improved handling of juvenile offenders.  She lauded the Sector’s efforts in the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based violence.  Dr. Kremser also raised the issue of the urgent need to appoint a substantive Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission. She noted that lack of a substantive chairperson has weaken the functioning of the Commission.  

On his part, the Minister congratulated Dr. Kremser on a very successful tenure as Chairperson of the JLOS-Development Partners Group. He applauded the support given by the ADC and other Sector Development Partners towards the administration of Justice and rule of law in the country.  

Hon. Prof Kamuntu noted the concerns raised in regard to the delay in the appointment of a substantive chairperson of the Human Rights Commission. He pledged to expeditiously handle this matter with all the relevant stakeholders and the appointing authority. 

The Minister further assured her that she has a firm partner, in Government, in the fight against Gender Based Violence. He promised his full support on that front.  The Hon minister also called upon Dr. Kremser to continue supporting the Sector, noting that institutions like the Office of the Director Public Prosecutions (ODPP) need urgent assistance in retooling, especially State Prosecutors based in upcountry locations. He averred that he is handling the issue of their renumeration enhancements with H.E the President and other relevant authorities in government.   

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Published: 24 February 2021

#Press Statement

We would like to inform the public that the police as a law abiding institution, welcomed the ruling by the Constitutional Court of Uganda, that annulled section 8 of the Public Order Management Act, 2013. The section gave discretionary powers to the police, to stop or prevent the holding of a public meeting, where the public meeting is held contrary to the Act.

A task team led by the Director Legal and Human Rights Services is working with the Attorney General, to appeal against the ruling.

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Published: March 30, 2020

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Hon. Kahinda Otafiire on February 7, 2019 participated in a high level ministerial segment at the Access to Justice Conference held in The Hague, Netherlands. The event hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was aimed at facilitating dialogue and interaction around Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.3 that seeks to ensure equal access to justice for all by 2030. 

Hon. Otafiire attended the event at the invitation of Her Excellency Sigrid A.M. Kaag, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Netherlands. In his statement, Hon. Otafiire shared Uganda’s access to justice journey and the success story of the Sector-wide approach being spearheaded by the Justice, Law and Order Sector.

During the ministerial segment of the conference that drew participants from all over the world, strategies for the delivery of SDG 16.3 were explored and access to justice experiences were shared. The meeting was also aimed at developing recommendations and potential commitments to deliver justice for all.

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By Edgar Kuhimbisa / Published: February 12, 2019

The Uganda Prisons Service has listed 2,100 inmates for Presidential pardon. The constitution empowers the President to pardon prisoners on the presidential prerogative of mercy upon advice of the Committee of Clemency and the Attorney General. The Uganda Prisons Spokesperson, Mr. Frank Baine said the list was submitted to the Attorney General's office (Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs) in August this year and they are awaiting a response from the President's office.

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Published: December 6, 2018

KAMPALA - The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire this afternoon met with a visiting delegation from Estonia led by the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Väino Reinart. The Estonian delegation is in the country on a two-day official visit to engage with the Government of Uganda on aspects cooperation and partnership between Uganda and Estonia in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

The Honorable Minister welcomed Hon. Reinart to Uganda and underscored the need for increased partnership between Uganda and Estonia not only in the domain of ICT but in other economically viable fields of agriculture, transport, power generation and tourism. He further requested the Estonian delegation to explore Public Private Partnerships (PPP) as a viable model for implementation of projects in Uganda.

The Ag. Solicitor General, Ms. Harriet Lwabi in her remarks underscored the need for technology driven processes in the Ministry. She said this would relate to areas of case management, electronic records management, information sharing and collaboration. Ms. Lwabi also emphasised the need for integration of information systems among all players in the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) as a mechanism for improving effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery. 

Hon. Reinart thanked the minister for the warm welcome and said Estonia is eager to create long lasting partnerships with Uganda that will facilitate knowledge transfer and human capacity development in the implementation of E-Government programs. He invited the minister to visit Estonia later this year to see first-hand how technology has revolutionised the Estonian economy, contributed to improved access to services in the justice sector and facilitated citizen empowerment. 

Present at this meeting from the Ministry of Justice was the Director of Legal Advisory services, Mr. Christopher Gashirabake; the Director First Parliamentary Counsel, Ms. Harriet Lwabi (and Ag. Solicitor General); representatives from the Directorate of civil Litigation, the Law Council and the JLOS Secretariat.

Hon. Reinart was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and business representatives from leading ICT players in Estonia’s private sector such as Net Group, Nortal and Aktors. During this visit, the Estonian delegation will also pay a courtesy call on the Deputy Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo.

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By Edgar Kuhimbisa | Published: May 10, 2018