Nixon Agasirwe, a former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), was arrested in Kampala on Thursday. His arrest is part of a new investigation into the killing of top Ugandan prosecutor Joan Kagezi, who was murdered in 2015.
Agasirwe was taken by security officers and is now being held in detention in Kampala. Prosecutors are working on his case so that he can be taken to court.
A trusted source confirmed the arrest and said, “Yes, it is true, Agasirwe has been arrested as part of the investigation into Kagezi’s murder.”
The police spokesperson, ACP Rusoke Kituuma, was not available to comment on the matter.
Agasirwe’s arrest comes just days after important testimony was given in court by Daniel Kisseka Kiwanuka. Kiwanuka admitted to being involved in Kagezi’s murder and told the court that a man called “Nixon,” who was driving a white government vehicle, gave the order to kill her. Investigators believe this “Nixon” is actually Nixon Agasirwe.
Agasirwe used to lead a special police unit responsible for carrying out operations and investigations.
Investigators are also looking again at a 2016 government report on ballistics (the study of firearms and bullets). That report showed that the same gun used to kill Joan Kagezi was also used in earlier murders of Muslim religious leaders, such as Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga and Sheikh Hassan Kirya. This has led officials to believe that these killings may be connected and possibly part of a larger organized plan.
Some security officials also suspect that Agasirwe may have arrested innocent people on purpose in several cases, possibly to hide the real people behind the killings and to mislead investigations.
This is not the first time Agasirwe has been in trouble with the law. In the past, he was jailed for being involved in illegal repatriations (forcing people to return to their home countries without following legal steps), keeping people in custody unlawfully, and having military weapons without permission. However, he was later released on bail.
Joan Kagezi was a leading government lawyer who handled terrorism and organized crime cases. On March 30, 2015, she was shot and killed in Kiwatule, a suburb of Kampala, while driving with her children. Her murder shocked many people in Uganda and around the world.
The arrest of Agasirwe is seen as a major step forward in the effort to find justice for Joan Kagezi.
