Nearly a decade after the assassination of Senior State Prosecutor Joan Kagezi, former senior police officer SSP Nixon Agasirwe Karuhanga has been charged and remanded in connection with her murder.
Agasirwe, once a powerful figure in the Uganda Police Force and a former commander in the Police Special Operations Unit, appeared before Nakawa Chief Magistrate Esther Nyadoi on Monday, June 16, 2025. He is accused of masterminding the March 30, 2015 shooting of Kagezi in Kiwaatule, a Kampala suburb.
The Chief Magistrate did not take his plea due to the court’s lack of jurisdiction over capital offences such as murder. Agasirwe was instead remanded to Luzira Upper Prison until July 8, 2025, when the matter will return for further mention. The case will be transferred to the High Court once investigations are complete.
The prosecution described Agasirwe’s arraignment as a “breakthrough” in what has long been one of Uganda’s most troubling unresolved crimes. The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stated that evidence linking Agasirwe to the crime had reached a threshold warranting prosecution, though further investigations remain underway.
Central to the prosecution’s case is Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka, a former UPDF soldier and convicted participant in Kagezi’s murder. In a recent testimony before the International Crimes Division of the High Court, Kisekka named Agasirwe as the mastermind. He alleged that Agasirwe ordered the hit, provided financial support to the killers, and supplied a government-registered vehicle for the operation.
Kisekka further claimed the murder was carried out in retaliation for Kagezi’s work prosecuting high-profile terrorism cases, particularly those involving members of the Muslim community. Kagezi had been instrumental in the prosecution of suspects in the 2010 Kampala bombings linked to Al-Shabaab.
Agasirwe, who was previously arrested and remanded in 2017 over separate charges including illegal repatriation of foreign nationals and possession of illegal firearms, has long been considered a controversial figure in Uganda’s security circles. His close ties to former Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura once made him a feared and influential officer.
The killing of Joan Kagezi sent shockwaves across Uganda and beyond. She was a respected prosecutor, known for her commitment to justice and her leadership of the International Crimes Division. Her assassination had remained unresolved for nearly 10 years, with little accountability until now.
The remand of Agasirwe has revived hope among the public and legal fraternity that justice for Joan Kagezi may finally be within reach.