The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed the trial of four men before the High Court International Crimes Division for the murder of former state prosecutor Joan Namazzi Kagezi.
According to the DPP, the prosecution will heavily rely on the evidence of a witch doctor to prove the murder of Kagezi. This revelation comes from a summary of evidence presented to Nakawa Court Chief Magistrate Elias Kakooza.
The suspects are; Kisseka Daniel Kiwanuka, a 43-year-old peasant, two aggravated robbery convicts: Kibuuka John and Nasur Abudallah Mugonole, and Musajagge John, a prisoner at Kitalya mini-prison.
The court heard that immediately after Kagezi’s shooting on March 30, 2015, the four suspects sought the help of an undisclosed Kayunga-based witch doctor to “tie the case.” Police later called upon the witch doctor during their investigation, and he identified the four suspects in an identification parade.
The prosecution says the witch doctor’s testimony will be crucial in the International Crimes Division court. He will reportedly detail how the four men confessed to him about committing the murder of a high-ranking government official and needing his help to avoid arrest.
The court also heard that the four men, including an army deserter, resorted to various means to evade arrest for nearly eight years. These included committing robberies, working odd jobs like charcoal burning and cobbling, and boda-boda riding. Their luck ran out on April 15, 2023, when Kibuuka John was arrested for a robbery in Kawempe division. He later confessed to his involvement in Kagezi’s murder, along with three others.
The group revealed upon arrest that the plan to murder Kagezi was hatched in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and facilitated by Kibuuka John. He reportedly purchased two guns from the DRC and paid each of the other three men a deposit of Shs 500,000 for their participation.
On the fateful day, between 7 and 8 PM, Kagezi was driving home with her three children in a government vehicle, she stopped in Kiwatule to buy fruits from a roadside vendor. Two men, identified as Kibuuka John and Musajagge John, who were riding on a motorcycle, stopped near her car. More details indicate that Kibuuka John shot her twice in the neck.
A second group of men, riding on a separate motorcycle (Kisseka Daniel and Nasur Abudallah Munogole), followed behind and fired shots into the air to create a distraction. The assailants then fled towards Najjera and later proceeded to Bunamwaya-Kajjansi, where they reportedly murdered another woman and committed a robbery during the same night.
At the time of her murder in March 2015, Kagezi was the lead prosecutor in the 2010 Kampala twin bombings. The DPP’s office has since held annual memorial lectures to honor her life and dedication to service.
The four men have been remanded to their respective prisons until the next convenient session of the High Court.
