KAMPALA, Uganda | Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) deserter Daniel Kisekka Kiwanuka has been jailed for 35 years after pleading guilty to the murder of assistant director of public prosecutions (DPP) Joan Kagezi Namazzi ten years ago.

The High Court International Crimes Division entered a guilty plea for Kiwanuka under which he pleaded guilty to the charges of murder after he killed Kagezi on the 30th of March, 2015, for a promised fee of shs.500,000 as payment.

Kiwanuka confessed that on that 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.

Justices Micheal Elubu, Stephen Mubiru, Dr Winfred Nabisinde and Celia Nagawa confirmed a 35-year imprisonment as agreed upon in the plea bargain agreement.

During interrogation, Kiwanuka confessed 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. Kiwanuka also informed the court that the assassination was part of a meticulously planned criminal mission allegedly commissioned by an undisclosed high-profile individual.

This marked a significant breakthrough in the long-standing pursuit of justice in the assassination of one of Uganda’s most esteemed prosecutors. The case against the remaining accused persons, Kibuuka John, Massajjage John, and Nasur Abdallah Mugonole, remains ongoing.