Kampala, Uganda | By Michael Wandati | The Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered the detention of two convicted individuals and two prisoners on charges related to terrorism and the murder of the former Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Joan Namazzi Kagezi.
The accused parties in this case are as follows: Daniel Kisekka Kiwanuka, a peasant farmer and charcoal burner residing in Nsanvu village, Kitimbwa Town Council, Kayunga District; John Kibuuka, also known as Musa, a convict at Kigo Prisons; Nasur Abdallah Mugongole, a convict at Kitalya Mini Max Prisons in Mityana District; and John Masajjage, who goes by aliases Mubiru Brian, Badru, and Chongo, and is currently a prisoner at Kitalya.
These individuals were brought to the court under stringent security measures enforced by the counter-terrorism police and heavily armed prison warders. They were held in the court’s cells for approximately an hour before being presented in a crowded courtroom, which included more than 30 prosecutors and three members of Joan Namazzi Kagezi’s family.
However, only Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Thomas Jatiko and Chief State Attorney Lillian Omara Alum were present at the bar to handle the prosecution, while others intended to join the proceedings later.
The court learned that on March 30, 2015, the accused suspects, in collaboration with others who remain at large, fatally shot Joan Namazzi Kagezi in Kiwatule, Nakawa Division, Kampala District, with the intention of influencing the government or intimidating the public. They stand accused of indiscriminately attacking and murdering Kagezi, a public official.
As Chief Magistrate Erias Kakooza lacked jurisdiction over the case, the accused individuals, who did not have legal representation, have been remanded to their respective prisons until November 20, 2023, to allow for ongoing investigations. Irene Nakimbugwe, Deputy Spokesperson of the office of the DPP, confirmed that the convicts involved in this case had previously been imprisoned for aggravated robbery.
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Regarding inquiries about the suspects’ origins and their alleged plans to commit the crime, Jacqueline Okui, Spokesperson for the office of the DPP, directed such questions to Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga. He described the investigation as “protected” and reserved further details for the prosecution stage.
In spite of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s assertion that the true perpetrators of Kagezi murder are in Europe, Nakimbugwe assured the public that the office is fully prepared to prosecute the case and has identified the actual suspects. This declaration comes after eight years of investigations that yielded no prior arrests.
