A UPDF deserter has been sentenced to 35 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to the murder of Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Joan Kagezi.
Kagezi was killed by unknown assailants in 2015 as she returned home in Kiwatule, a Kampala suburb.
Kagezi was gunned down in her vehicle before her children as she stopped to buy fruits on the roadside.
At the time of her killing, Kagezi was prosecuting suspects involved in the infamous 2010 twin bombing case at the High Court of Kampala.
On Monday, Daniel Kisekka, 47, pleaded guilty to the charges of murder under the plea bargain arrangement , a system that allows an accused to own up to committing the offence in exchange for a lighter sentence.
With the maximum punishment for the offence of murder being death by hanging upon conviction, Kisekka opted for a lighter punishment by admitting guilt.
Evidence
Evidence tendered in court revealed that the assassination was part of a meticulously planned criminal mission allegedly commissioned by an undisclosed high-profile individual.
The plot was executed by one former UPDF soldier and known hardcore criminal collaborators, including Kisekka, Kibuuka John, Nasur Abdallah Mugonole, and Massajjage John.
According to the facts agreed upon in the plea bargain, the accused and his accomplices orchestrated the murder for a promised fee of USD 200,000. Each conspirator initially received shs500,000 as a down payment.
Kisekka confessed that on the day of the assassination, he and Nasur Mugonole acted as a backup team while Kibuuka and Massajjage carried out the actual shooting.
The murder occurred in Kiwatule, Kampala, in full view of Kagezi’s children. Kibuuka reportedly pulled the trigger, shooting Kagezi twice in the neck as she sat in her official vehicle.
Although investigations into the case were intensive, progress stalled for over eight years until 2023, when new intelligence revived the inquiry.
Kisekka was arrested in October of that year on unrelated charges in Luwero, which led to his identification as a suspect in the Kagezi case.
During interrogation, he confessed to his role in the assassination and provided crucial details that enabled investigators to reconstruct the crime scene and verify the involvement of the other accused.
Authorities also located the witchdoctor, who admitted to performing protective rituals on the accused trio shortly after the murder, allegedly to shield them from arrest and “silence the case.”
Kisekka’s criminal record dated back to 2008, when he was charged with aggravated robbery before the General Court Martial.
He had escaped from Makindye Military Barracks after pleading not guilty and remained at large for years. The weapons used in the assassination were reportedly among those he stole upon deserting the UPDF in 2006.
Despite prior arrests, Kisekka had no official convictions until this plea bargain.
The court noted several aggravating factors in the murder, including the brutal nature of the killing, the presence of Kagezi’s children at the scene, the profit-driven motive, and the blatant disregard for human life and public safety.
The panel of judges of the International Crimes Division including Justice Michael Elubu (Head of the Panel), Justice Stephen Mubiru, Justice Dr. Winfred Nabisinde, and Justice Celia Nagawa confirmed a 35-year imprisonment term as agreed upon in the plea bargain agreement.
