Former Police Special Operations Commander Nixon Agasirwe has been further remanded to Luzira Prison in connection with the 2015 assassination of Senior Principal State Attorney Joan Kagezi, a case that had long stalled but is now regaining momentum.
Appearing before Nakawa Chief Magistrate Esther Nyadoi in June, Agasirwe was formally charged with murder and ordered into remand custody. His appearance followed his arrest last month, triggered by damning new testimony from a key state witness.
That witness, Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka a former Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) deserter—told the International Crimes Division of the High Court that a man he identified only as “Nick,” believed to be Agasirwe, had ordered the hit on Kagezi.
At the time of the assassination, Agasirwe was head of Special Police Operations, working under then-Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura. Following his recent arrest, he was initially detained at Flying Squad headquarters in Kireka, where he reportedly cooperated with investigators.
Kagezi was gunned down on March 30, 2015, in Kiwatule, Kampala, while returning home with three of her four children. She had stopped briefly to buy vegetables when a man posing as a pedestrian approached her car, asked for directions, and then shot her twice in the neck at close range. The assailant escaped on a waiting motorcycle. Kagezi was rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital, but she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Her death shocked the nation and drew global condemnation. At the time, Kagezi was leading high-profile terrorism and war crimes prosecutions, including cases linked to the 2010 Kampala bombings.
Kisekka’s testimony came as part of a plea bargain agreement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In exchange for his confession and cooperation, Kisekka pleaded guilty to murder, had terrorism charges dropped, and received a 35-year sentence, later reduced to 34 due to time already served on remand.
In court, Kisekka told a panel of judges Justices Michael Elubu, Stephen Mubiru, Dr. Winfred Nabisinde, and Celia Nagawa that the group responsible for Kagezi’s killing had been paid $20,000 by an unnamed high-profile individual, reportedly angered by her role in prosecuting sensitive, religion-related cases.
Agasirwe’s remand marks a turning point in what had been a cold case for nearly a decade. While authorities have not confirmed additional arrests, sources close to the investigation suggest that more suspects may soon be implicated as the probe deepens.
Security analysts and legal observers say the case could have far-reaching implications not only for Uganda’s law enforcement hierarchy, but also for unresolved questions around who ordered one of the country’s most politically and judicially sensitive assassinations in recent memory.
