By KT Reporter
The International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala has commenced the trial of three men accused of murdering former Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Joan Namazzi Kagezi, who was gunned down nearly ten years ago. The trial began on Tuesday before a panel of four High Court Judges led by Dr. Andrew Bashaija, alongside Justices Joyce Kavuma, Duncan Gaswaga, and Richard Wejuli Wabwire.
The accused—John Kibuuka, John Masajjagge, and Nasur Abudallah Mugonole—are charged with terrorism and the murder of Kagezi, which occurred on March 30, 2015. The first prosecution witness was 31-year-old Carol Namugambe Kagezi, daughter of the late prosecutor. An employee of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, Carol gave an emotional eyewitness account of the events leading up to her mother’s killing.
Led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Lino Anguzu and supported in court by her elder brother Phillip Kagezi, Carol recounted how the tragedy unfolded on that Monday evening. She had recently returned from university in South Africa and spent the day with her mother and two younger siblings. According to her testimony, the family left for a swimming outing at Serena Hotel before Kagezi proceeded to her then-office at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo.
Around 5 p.m., while driving through Kamwokya, Ntinda, and on to Kiwatule, they stopped to buy mangoes from a roadside vendor. Carol broke down in tears as she described what happened next, prompting her brother to console her at the witness stand.
Regaining composure, she recounted: “As the conversation went on with the fruit vendor, I was seated in the co-driver’s seat when I heard a loud bang and saw smoke. I initially thought it was a bomb. When I turned to look at Mummy, her head was resting on her chin, with two bullet holes streaming blood on her blouse.” She continued:
“I removed Mummy’s torso and held her to see what had happened. There were two holes on her neck. One had a lot of blood and pink matter.”
Carol further testified that she tried to resuscitate her mother but was disturbed by a strange man with “striking big eyes” who stood silently, observing the scene without emotion. “There was a man—I don’t remember his face, but he had big eyes. He stood out because, unlike others who just glanced and moved on, he lingered. I even asked him why he was staring, but he didn’t respond,” she told the Judges.
Soon, a crowd gathered around the car, with some urging the family to take Kagezi to the hospital. Carol said she couldn’t move her. Former CID Director Grace Akullo then arrived, and with the help of her driver and a policeman, they transferred Kagezi’s body to a police pick-up. “Akullo brought her car—a pick-up—and her driver and a policeman carried Mummy and put her in the boot. I told my siblings to collect the bags, get in the car with our grandparents,” Carol added.
She said their grandfather, Sserwadda, arrived and asked whether Joan was dead. Carol replied she didn’t know. She held her mother in the back of the car until they arrived at Mulago Hospital. “The nurse said we couldn’t enter the casualty wing until a doctor saw her. When the doctor came, he checked her pulse and advised us to take her to the mortuary,” she told the court.
Carol said Joan Kagezi was buried on April 2, 2015, at the family burial grounds in Bukasa along Mityana Road. While she could not identify any of the three suspects in the dock as the assailants, when asked by the victim’s counsel, Sylvia Namawejje, what she wanted the court to do, Carol replied: “I want justice. I want the people who killed our mother to be punished so that they can reform.”
She also stated that their father had died in 2006, and the four children had since been orphaned. The court adjourned until 2 p.m. to hear from the second prosecution witness. Earlier, the court appointed 36-year-old businessman Buyondo Ismael and 48-year-old businesswoman Judith Muhairwe as assessors to observe proceedings on behalf of the public and advise the judges based on the evidence presented.
On Monday, one of the initial suspects, Daniel Kisekka Kiwanuka, a former UPDF deserter, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 years in prison by the same panel of judges. Court records indicate that Kisekka admitted to being hired, along with others, by a high-profile individual through John Kibuuka to assassinate Kagezi, allegedly due to her involvement in prosecuting Muslim-related terrorism cases.
The group was promised $200,000 for the killing but only received UGX 500,000 each. They reportedly spent UGX 200,000 on a witch doctor in Kayunga District for rituals to prevent Kagezi’s spirit from haunting them. After the murder, the suspects continued engaging in armed robberies until their arrest led to the discovery of their connection to Kagezi’s killing-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
