Former Police Special Operations Commander Nixon Agasirwe has been further remanded to Luzira Prison following the prosecution’s failure to produce committal papers in court.
Agasirwe was arrested in May in connection with the 2015 assassination of Senior Principal State Attorney Joan Kagezi, a case that had long stalled but is now regaining momentum. Prosecutors pledged to avail the committal documents at the next court session, scheduled for November 19, 2025.
Appearing before Nakawa Chief Magistrate Esther Nyadoi in June, Agasirwe was formally charged with murder and sent to remand custody. His appearance followed his arrest in May, which was reportedly triggered by new and damning 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 served as Head of Special Police Operations, working under then-Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura. Following his recent arrest, he was initially detained at the 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 fled on a waiting motorcycle. Kagezi was rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Her death shocked the nation and drew widespread condemnation. At the time, Kagezi was leading several high-profile terrorism and war crimes prosecutions, including cases linked to the 2010 Kampala bombings.
Kisekka’s testimony was made 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 years to account for 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 was paid $20,000 by an unnamed high-profile individual, reportedly angered by her role in prosecuting sensitive, religion-related cases.
Agasirwe’s continued remand marks a turning point in what had long been a cold case. 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 note that the case could have far-reaching implications — not only for Uganda’s law enforcement hierarchy but also for long-standing questions about who ordered one of the country’s most politically and judicially sensitive assassinations in recent memory.
