Former Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura, has come forward to declare that he was falsely accused of orchestrating the murder of former Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Andrew Felix Kaweesi, as well as the assassinations of several Muslim clerics.
Kaweesi was gunned down on March 17, 2017, just a few meters from his home by unidentified assailants riding motorcycles. At the time of his death, he was en route to Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono to deliver a career guidance session.
In a candid interview with NBS TV, Kayihura stated,“I suffered in 2018 when I was falsely accused in connection with the murder of AIGP Felix Kaweesi, who was very close to me. That really makes me mad.”
Kayihura linked the renewed attention to his past to the recent arrest of former Police Special Operations Commander, Nixon Agasirwe, in connection with the 2015 assassination of Senior State Prosecutor Joan Kagezi. Agasirwe’s arrest followed testimony by Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka, a former Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) deserter, who told the International Crimes Division of the High Court that a man he identified as “Nick” ordered the killing.
“After the arrest of Nixon, there was an avalanche of stories in the media and social media targeting me with all sorts of false accusations,” Kayihura said.
He described the public smear campaign as a difficult time in his life, and expressed gratitude to President Museveni for the eventual dismissal of charges against him by the General Court Martial.
Kayihura was arrested on June 13, 2018, and appeared before the military court on August 24, 2018. He spent 76 days in custody and was later released on bail. The charges included failure to protect war materials and aiding and abetting kidnapping.
On the Murder of Joan Kagezi
Speaking about the 2015 assassination of senior prosecutor Joan Kagezi, Kayihura said her death was a major blow to the police force.
“Joan was attached to us as a principal legal advisor. Since investigations were prosecution-led, her murder was a big shock to the force—especially to me, as someone close to her,” he said.
Accusations Over Muslim Cleric Killings
Kayihura also refuted allegations linking him to the assassinations of prominent Muslim clerics, including Sheikh Hassan Kirya and Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga, who were murdered between December 2014 and June 2015.
“I don’t want to express my anger, but it’s really painful for people to suggest that I was behind the killing of Muslim leaders,” Kayihura remarked.
In 2020, the Court of Appeal overturned life sentences handed to Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga—a Tabliq leader—and his co-accused, who had been convicted for the murders.
Initially, in August 2017, a three-judge panel of the International Crimes Division—led by Justices Ezekiel Muhanguzi, Jane Kiggundu, and Percy Tuhaise—had sentenced Kamoga and five others to life imprisonment on charges of terrorism and the killing of Muslim clerics.
