President Yoweri Museveni has appointed High Court Judge Aisha Naluzze Batala as Uganda’s new Inspector General of Government (IGG), filling a key anti-corruption post that has been vacant for weeks.
Justice Batala, who serves in the Land Division of the High Court, takes over from Beti Olive Namisango Kamya, whose four-year term ended on Sept. 22. The appointment is subject to parliamentary approval.
Presidential assistant for press and mobilisation Faruk Kirunda confirmed the move Tuesday evening, saying the president had also retained Kamya’s two deputies, Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria and Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, to continue serving.
“The names of the appointees have been forwarded to Parliament for vetting,” Kirunda said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Born in 1977, Justice Batala joined the bench in 2023 and has built a reputation as a steady, no-nonsense judge in land-related disputes — a background that may serve her well in one of Uganda’s most scrutinized public offices.
The Inspectorate of Government, established under Uganda’s 1995 Constitution, is tasked with promoting good governance and fighting corruption across public institutions. For the past two weeks, it had operated without a substantive head, raising concerns about oversight lapses in ongoing investigations.
The vacancy followed the end of Kamya’s tenure — a period marked by both outspoken anti-graft advocacy and criticism over the slow pace of prosecutions in major corruption scandals.
Appointed in July 2021, the 69-year-old former minister and presidential candidate made headlines for her blunt warnings to officials implicated in graft. She had vowed to “name and shame” corrupt public servants, a promise that drew both support and skepticism.
Justice Batala steps into the role at a time when public frustration over misuse of government funds remains high, and calls for accountability have grown louder. Analysts say her legal background and judicial temperament could bring a more procedural approach to the office’s operations.
In the meantime, the deputies — Dr. Okiria and Muhairwe — have kept the institution running, ensuring administrative continuity as the search for a new IGG unfolded.
Parliament is expected to begin the vetting process in the coming days. If confirmed, Justice Batala will become one of the few women to lead Uganda’s top anti-corruption agency — and the one tasked with restoring public trust in its mandate.
