The International Crimes Division of the High Court has sentenced Daniel Kisekka, a former Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer from Nsava village in Kayunga, to 35 years in prison for the 2015 murder of Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Joan Kagezi Namazzi.
This conviction follows a plea bargain agreement between Kisekka and the Office of the DPP, in which he agreed to plead guilty to murder in exchange for a more lenient sentence.
Kisekka, who had deserted the UPDF in Gulu after stealing two AK-47 rifles, later joined three others—John Kibuuka, Nasur Abdallah Mugonole, and Masajjage—in a series of armed robberies. During his appearance before a panel of Justices—Michael Elubu, Stephen Mubiru, Dr. Winfred Nabisinde, and Celia Nagawa—Kisekka confessed that the group was paid $20,000 by an unnamed high-profile individual angered by Kagezi’s involvement in sensitive Muslim-related cases.
As part of the plea deal, terrorism charges against Kisekka were dropped, and the indictment was amended to reflect his guilty plea to murder. Although he was sentenced to 35 years, he will serve 34 years, having already spent one year on remand.
Joan Kagezi was assassinated on March 30, 2015, while stopping at a roadside stall to buy fresh vegetables in Kiwaatule. She was reportedly heading to her home in Najjera, accompanied by three of her four children—two girls and one boy. One of the girls had left the car to buy the vegetables, while the others stayed inside.
As she returned to the vehicle, a man approached the car, knocked on the closed driver’s window as though to make an inquiry. When Kagezi opened the window, he shot her twice in the neck at close range. He then jumped onto a waiting motorcycle (boda boda) and fled. Kagezi was rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Notable Cases Prosecuted by Joan Kagezi
Aggrey Kiyingi Case: Kagezi prosecuted Ugandan-born Australian cardiologist Aggrey Kiyingi for the 2005 assassination of his wife, lawyer Robinah Kasirye Kiyingi, who was shot dead outside their Buziga home. The state lost the case.
Akbar Hussein Godi Trial: Kagezi led the prosecution of former Arua Municipality MP Akbar Godi, who was convicted in 2011 of murdering his 19-year-old wife, Rehema Caesar Godi, in Mukono District. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Thomas Nkulungira (Tonku) Case: She successfully prosecuted businessman Thomas Nkulungira, alias “Tonku,” for the 2010 murder of his girlfriend, whose body was dumped in a septic tank at his Muyenga residence. Tonku was sentenced to death in August 2011.
Thomas Kwoyelo Prosecution: Kagezi also led the prosecution of former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Thomas Kwoyelo, charged with kidnapping, rape, murder, and torture. Although the Constitutional Court initially granted him amnesty, the Supreme Court overturned that decision in April 2015 and ordered a retrial.
July 2010 Kampala Bombings: She played a critical role in prosecuting 13 individuals accused in the July 2010 terrorist attacks in Kampala, which killed at least 79 people during the FIFA World Cup Final.
