A dispute has ensued between the lawyer’s body -Uganda Law Society (ULS) and the newly appointed Inspector General of Government (IGG) judge Aisha Naluzze, arising from the double office bearing.
The Law Society vice president Anthony Asiimwe noted in the statement that was released on Friday 10th October 2025, that, while judge Naluzze is currently the IGG following her recent appointment by president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and approval by the parliament shortly after, she is still a High Court judge.
Asiimwe explained that Article 223(4) of the constitution which states that” the IGG shall not while holding office, hold any other office of emolument in the public service”, bars Naluzze from holding two offices.
It is against that background that the Radical New Bar lawyers demanded for her immediate resignation of her judicial office before officially assuming the inspectorate of government’s role, since it would plunge her in an inevitable legal battle.
The lawyer’s body vice president added that Naluzze’s continuation as a judge and IGG violates, section 20 of the Administration of the Judiciary Act cap 4 that requires a judicial officer appointed to an institution outside Judiciary to apply for leave of absence without pay for a period of not exceeding three years, or retire from the Judiciary.
“Given the four-year term of the IGG office, renewable only once, judge Naluzze’s appointment effectively terminates her judicial office”, Asiimwe emphasized.
He further explained that the Article 223(4) constitutional provision coupled with the doctrine of separation of powers and judicial independence necessitates her resignation from the judiciary, before citing the Constitutional Court’s decision in Jim Muhwezi &3 others Vs Attorney General& another (Constitutional Petition 10 of 2008), which held that the appointment of a sitting judge as IGG is unconstitutional and violates the separation of powers.
Naluzze replaced Betty Kamya whose four-year contract was not renewed by the appointing authority upon expiry.
Shortly after her approval by the parliamentary appointments committee on Friday 10th, she warned that her appointment in the IGG office will be business un usual.
