In a major breakthrough in one of Uganda’s most high-profile murder investigations, former Senior Superintendent of Police and former Special Operations Commander Nixon Agasirwe Karuhanga has been formally charged with the murder of Senior Prosecutor Joan Kagezi.
Agasirwe appeared before Chief Magistrate Esther Nyadoi at the Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court on June 16, 2025.
Due to the nature of the charge murder—he was not permitted to enter a plea, as the lower court lacks jurisdiction over capital offences. He was remanded to Luzira Prison until July 8, 2025, when the case will return to court for further mention.
Prosecutors allege that on March 30, 2015, in Kiwatule, Nakawa Division in Kampala, Agasirwe and others still at large orchestrated the killing of Kagezi, then serving as Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions.
She was gunned down while driving home by assailants on a motorcycle who had been tailing her vehicle.
Kagezi had been leading the prosecution in the 2010 Kampala bombings case, which killed 76 people, making her a key figure in Uganda’s fight against terrorism.
Her assassination sparked national outrage and international condemnation, with many viewing it as a direct attack on Uganda’s justice system.
After years of stalled investigations and speculation, a turning point came on May 21, 2025. A former Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) deserter, Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka, took the stand before the International Crimes Division of the High Court.
In a dramatic testimony, he identified Agasirwe—whom he knew as “Nick”—as the man who gave the order to kill Kagezi.
Nixon Agasirwe’s arrest marks a dramatic fall for a once-powerful police officer who was closely linked to former Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura.
His name has frequently appeared in reports investigating misconduct within elite police units under Kayihura’s command.
This is not Nixon Agasirwe’s first brush with the law. He previously faced charges related to the illegal repatriation of refugees and unlawful possession of military-grade weapons, for which he spent four years in remand before being released on bail.
A 2016 government ballistics report had already tied the weapon used in Kagezi’s assassination to other killings, including the deaths of prominent Muslim clerics Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga and Sheikh Hassan Kirya—further hinting at an organized network behind these crimes.
Agasirwe is now the most senior security official to be directly implicated in the Kagezi case. His indictment may pave the way for more revelations as investigators pursue others believed to be involved.
