KAMPALA UGANDA: 10 October 2025 – The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has issued a stern warning to the newly confirmed Inspector General of Government (IGG), Judge Aisha Naluzze, demanding that she immediately resign from her judicial post in order to maintain integrity and avoid a constitutional conflict of interest.
In its statement signed by Vice President Asiimwe Anthony, the ULS urges Judge Naluzze to resign from her judicial office before she is sworn in as the IGG. Failure to comply, the society warns, would lead to litigation, potential crippling of the Inspectorate’s operations, and inflict a “permanent blemish on her integrity.”
President Museveni has appointed Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala as the new Inspector General of Government (IGG), replacing Beti Kamya, whose four-year tenure ended on Tuesday evening.
Justice Naluzze, before her new appointment, served on the High Court bench and has been in service within the judiciary for years.
While the ULS welcomed Judge Naluzze’s confirmation by Parliament yesterday, the legal body asserted that her continuation in the Judiciary Service while serving a four-year term as the IGG would be unconstitutional.
The demand is primarily grounded in Article 223(4) of the Constitution, which stipulates that the IGG “shall not, while holding office, hold any other office of emolument in the public service.”
The ULS further relies on the Constitutional Court’s decision in Jim Muhwezi & 3 others v Attorney General & another (2008), a landmark ruling that held the appointment of a sitting judge as IGG is unconstitutional and violates the doctrine of separation of powers and judicial independence.
Additionally, the ULS points to Section 20 of the Administration of the Judiciary Act, Cap 4 which requires any judicial officer appointed to an external institution to either apply for leave without pay for a period not exceeding three years, or retire from the Judiciary. Given that the IGG’s term is four years, the ULS states Judge Naluzze’s appointment “effectively terminates her judicial office.”
