Former Police Special Operations Commander Nixon Agasirwe has been arrested by joint security agencies over his alleged involvement in the 2015 assassination of senior state prosecutor Joan Kagezi.
The arrest follows testimony by Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka, a deserter from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), who appeared before the International Crimes Division of the High Court on Wednesday. Kisekka claimed that a man he identified as “Nick” ordered the killing.
According to sources close to the investigation, Agasirwe is currently being held at the Flying Squad headquarters in Kireka, where he is assisting with ongoing inquiries. At the time of Kagezi’s murder, Agasirwe served as commander of special police operations under then-Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura.
Kisekka’s testimony came as part of a plea bargain agreement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), in which he agreed to plead guilty to murder in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Appearing before a panel of Justices Michael Elubu, Stephen Mubiru, Dr. Winfred Nabisinde, and Celia Nagawa, Kisekka admitted that the group was paid $20,000 by an unnamed high-profile individual angered by Kagezi’s involvement in sensitive, Muslim-related criminal cases.
Under the plea deal, terrorism charges against Kisekka were dropped, and the indictment was amended to reflect his guilty plea to murder. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison but will serve 34, accounting for time already spent on remand.
Joan Kagezi was assassinated on March 30, 2015, as she stopped at a roadside stall in Kiwatule to buy vegetables. She was reportedly on her way home to Najjera, accompanied by three of her four children. As she returned to the vehicle, a man approached, tapped on the driver’s window as if seeking directions, and shot her twice in the neck at close range after she opened the window. The assailant then fled on a waiting motorcycle.
Kagezi was rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
