The former commandant of the Uganda Police Special Operations Unit, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nixon Agasirwe, has been charged with the murder of Senior Principal State Attorney Joan Kagezi and was remanded to Luzira Upper Prison until July 8, 2025.
Agasirwe appeared before the Nakawa Chief Magistrates’ Court Esther Nyadoi on Monday, 16 under heavy security, days after his dramatic arrest on Thursday, June 12, 2025, following fresh leads in t he long-running investigation into Kagezi’s assassination.
The former police officer, once one of the most powerful figures in the security establishment, stood solemnly in the dock as charges were read to him.
Agasirwe was not allowed to enter a plea, as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court. Court proceedings were also adjourned to the same date after Agasirwe’s lawyer failed to appear.
Joan Kagezi, then head of the International Crimes Division in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), was gunned down on the evening of March 30, 2015, in Kiwatule, a Kampala suburb, as she drove home with her children. Her murder sent shockwaves across the country and attracted international condemnation. Kagezi was at the time leading high-profile prosecutions involving terrorism, including the 2010 Kampala bombing suspects linked to al-Shabaab.
Her assassination was widely viewed as an attempt to intimidate Uganda’s criminal justice system and obstruct the pursuit of justice in complex security-related cases.
Agasirwe’s name has occasionally surfaced in controversial security operations over the years, including allegations of involvement in illegal detentions and extra-judicial acts, though he consistently denied any wrongdoing. His arrest comes amid renewed efforts by security agencies and prosecutors to resolve unresolved high-profile murders.
Agasirwe’s trial could potentially unearth powerful revelations regarding the circumstances surrounding Kagezi’s death and the individuals who may have orchestrated it.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo, recently reaffirmed her office’s commitment to securing justice for Kagezi and her family. “Joan was not just a prosecutor—she was a pillar of justice, and we will not rest until justice is done,” Abodo said at a recent memorial held in her memory.
