By Our Reporter
The International Crimes Division of the High Court has sentenced Daniel Kisekka Kiwanuka to 35 years in prison for the 2015 murder of Senior Principal State Attorney Joan Namazzi Kagezi, bringing partial closure to one of Uganda’s most high-profile and unresolved assassinations.
Kisekka, a charcoal burner from Nsava village in Kayunga District and a former Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) deserter, was convicted after entering a plea bargain with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). In exchange for pleading guilty to murder, terrorism charges against him were dropped, and the indictment was amended.
The court heard that Kisekka and three accomplices—John Kibuuka, John Masajjage, and Nasur Abdullah Mugonole—conspired to kill Kagezi, believing she was a judge interfering in Muslim affairs. Each was paid UGX 500,000 for the murder. At the time of her death, Kagezi was the lead prosecutor in the 2010 Kampala twin bombings case, which involved several Muslim suspects.
The gruesome murder took place on the evening of March 30, 2015. Kagezi, traveling with her children, had stopped to buy fruits in Kiwatule when she was shot in the neck at close range by Kibuuka, who had been provided the murder weapon by Kisekka. The four men had trailed her car on two boda-bodas from Kyebando to the scene of the crime.
According to court submissions, Kisekka had previously stolen five AK-47 rifles from the UPDF and used them during a spree of armed robberies with his co-accused. He had once been arrested in 2008 following a failed robbery attempt, but escaped from the General Court Martial detention facility in Makindye, later settling in Kayunga as a charcoal burner.
In the aftermath of Kagezi’s murder, the group allegedly sought protection from a traditional healer named Olewo Joseph in Kayunga, paying him UGX 200,000 to “spiritually tie the case.” This tactic apparently kept them beyond the reach of justice for eight years, until Kisekka was arrested in August 2023 for theft in Luweero. During interrogation, he confessed to the murder and implicated his co-conspirators—who were found to be serving sentences for unrelated robberies.
State prosecutor Thomas Jatiko argued for a stiff sentence, emphasizing the premeditated nature of the crime and the emotional trauma inflicted on Kagezi’s children, who witnessed the murder from the backseat of the vehicle. Two of Kagezi’s now-adult children delivered powerful victim impact statements in court, describing the enduring pain of losing their mother.
In contrast, Kisekka’s attorney, Henry Kunya, pleaded for leniency, describing his client as a father of school-going children.
However, a panel of four justices led by Justice Michael Elubu ruled that the court was not bound by the plea agreement and proceeded to impose the 35-year sentence, citing the severity and calculated nature of the crime.
Joan Kagezi’s murder sent shockwaves through Uganda and the international legal community. Her death not only robbed the nation of a respected legal mind but also symbolized the dangers faced by those on the frontlines of justice. With this conviction, some measure of justice has finally been delivered.
