Daniel Kisekka (in red t-shirt) and other suspects in the court dock on November 6, 2023. Photo | Abubaker Lubowa
The man convicted of the 2015 murder of Senior State Prosecutor Joan Kagezi has named the alleged mastermind behind the high-profile killing that shocked Uganda’s justice system.
Testifying for a second day as a state witness, Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka, a UPDF deserter, told court that a man identified only as Nixon ordered the assassination. He claimed Nixon gave the job to co-accused John Kibuuka due to Kagezi’s role in prosecuting terrorism-related cases involving Muslims.
“The person who gave the job to Kibuuka was Nixon,” Kisekka said during cross-examination by defence lawyer Elizabeth Nampola.
Although he said he never directly interacted with Nixon, Kisekka testified that he saw him briefly two days before the murder, arriving in a government vehicle to meet Kibuuka in Kalwerwe. Kisekka, who entered a plea bargain with the Director of Public Prosecutions and was sentenced to 35 years in prison, has since turned state witness.
He is testifying against Kibuuka, John Masajjage, and Nasur Abudallah Mugonole, his alleged accomplices. Under tough cross-examination, Kisekka admitted to a criminal history that includes armed robbery, motorcycle theft, and a 2011 prison escape—but maintained the truth of his account.
“I was part of the team assigned to kill her. I held the gun concealed in my shirt and was present when it happened...Kibuuka told me the target was a judge interfering with Muslim cases,” he added.
Ms Nampola challenged the credibility of his testimony, citing inconsistencies and hearsay. “You claim you didn’t meet the accused after 2008, except Nasur. How did Nasur contact you?” she asked.
“Through his sister, who gave him a prison officer’s phone number,” Kisekka replied, referring to contact made in 2012.
He admitted to having no direct knowledge of related incidents in Bunamwaya or visits to a native doctor in Nakifuma, saying he was only told about them by Nasur.
Asked whether he or the other accused had any personal connection to Kagezi, Kisekka said he did not know her.
“Kibuuka told me she was a judge. That’s all I knew.” When pressed about Nixon’s identity, Kisekka admitted he didn’t know his religion, only that the job was allegedly motivated by Kagezi’s prosecution of Muslim suspects.
He also admitted he never received the promised $200,000 for the job, though each participant was allegedly given a down payment of TShs 500,000. He further testified that the group had agreed not to contact each other for a year after the killing—but contradicted himself by stating they communicated the next day.
Assistant Inspector of Police Michael Jackson Okello also presented crime scene photographs, which were admitted as prosecution exhibits. The case continues today with further testimony from state witnesses.
