The High Court has denied bail to Senior Superintendent of Police Nickson Agasirwe, delivering a significant setback in the long-running case surrounding the 2015 assassination of senior prosecutor Joan Kagezi.
In a decisive ruling, Justice Isaac Muwata found that Agasirwe does not qualify for mandatory bail, despite having spent more than 180 days on remand. The court noted that the State had already satisfied constitutional requirements by filing an indictment and summary of evidence in December 2025, effectively advancing the case beyond the threshold for such relief.
Justice Muwata said the 180-day provision is intended to protect suspects from indefinite detention without formal charges, but ruled that it could not apply where the prosecution has already taken substantive steps in the committal process.
The court further expressed concern over the risk of witness interference, highlighting Agasirwe’s former senior position within the police force, which could enable him to exert influence over potential witnesses, particularly junior officers connected to the case.
In addition, the seriousness of the charges and the likelihood of flight if released weighed heavily in the court’s decision, reinforcing the conclusion that bail would not serve the interests of justice.
Agasirwe was arrested in May 2025 following testimony from convicted accomplice Daniel Kisekka, who implicated him in financing the assassination. Kisekka is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence after admitting his role in the killing.
Kagezi was gunned down on March 30, 2015, in Kiwatule, a Kampala suburb, in a murder that shocked the nation and remains one of Uganda’s most prominent criminal cases.
With the bail application denied, Agasirwe will remain in custody as the case proceeds to trial, alongside other suspects who are also still on remand.
