City lawyer Steven Kalali has petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), challenging a directive requiring all staff at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to join the institution’s Staff Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO), arguing that it violates their constitutional right to freedom of association.
In a letter addressed to DPP Lino Anguzu and copied to the Attorney General, Kalali argues that membership in any association should be voluntary and that forcing prosecutors and support staff to join the ODPP Staff SACCO is unconstitutional.
The complaint follows an internal memo issued on June 23, 2026, in which the DPP communicated a management decision directing all staff to become members of the SACCO as part of efforts to promote a savings culture and improve employees’ financial welfare.
According to the memo, monthly contributions were set to begin in July 2026, with deductions varying depending on staff ranks. The DPP is expected to contribute one million shillings monthly, the Permanent Secretary 600,000 shillings, while other staff members, including prosecutors and support staff, will contribute between 50,000 and 500,000 shillings.
The Human Resource Office was directed to work with the Accounts Section to effect deductions for non-legal staff, while prosecutors would remit their contributions directly to the SACCO.
The ODPP said the SACCO was established to encourage savings among staff, provide affordable loans at lower interest rates than commercial banks, and allow members to benefit from dividends through share ownership. The office also indicated that accounts had already been opened for prosecutors and non-prosecutor staff.
However, Kalali says that while establishing a staff SACCO is a positive initiative, making membership compulsory violates Article 29(1)(e) of the Constitution, which protects every Ugandan’s freedom to join or refuse to join an association.
He argues that freedom of association also includes the freedom not to associate, adding that employees should be allowed to independently decide whether or not to become SACCO members.
The Deputy Spokesperson in the Office of the DPP, Irene Nakbugwe, has confirmed receipt of Kalali’s complaint, saying management will review the matter and respond accordingly.
He now demands that the Director of Public Prosecution withdraw the said directive immediately.
The Deputy Spokesperson in the Office of the DPP, Irene Nakbugwe, has confirmed receipt of Kalali’s complaint, saying management will review the matter and respond accordingly.
Kalali’s complaint comes a few days after High Court Judge Isaac Bonny Teko ruled that mandatory membership in a SACCO violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom of association, holding that membership in such associations must remain voluntary.
The Judge’s decision stemmed from a case filed by lawyers Kalali against the Attorney General and Exodus Co-operative Savings and Credit Society Ltd.
In that case, Justice Isaac Bonny Teko ruled on July 15, 2026, that mandatory SACCO membership violated the constitutional right to freedom of association and held that such membership must remain voluntary.
