The long-awaited trial of three men accused of murdering former Senior Principal State Attorney Joan Namazzi Kagezi began on Tuesday at the International Crimes Division of the High Court, with emotional testimony from her eldest daughter painting a harrowing picture of the events that unfolded a decade ago.
Carol Namugambe Kagezi, now 31, gave a tearful eyewitness account of the shooting, which took place on March 30, 2015.
Led in her testimony by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Lino Anguzu and supported by her brother, Namugambe recalled the final moments of her mother’s life and the devastation her death wrought on the family.
Namugambe, who had just returned from university studies in South Africa, said she was excited to reunite with her family.
That day, she joined her mother and two younger siblings on an outing to Serena Hotel.
On their way back, they passed through Kamwokya and Ntinda before stopping at Kiwatule to buy mangoes from a roadside vendor.
As she recounted, Namugambe was seated in the front passenger seat when a loud bang rang out. Smoke filled the car.
Turning to check on her mother, she saw Joan Kagezi slumped in her seat, two bullet wounds visible on her head, her blouse soaked in blood.
"I tried to wake her up, but she was not responding," Namugambe told the court, her voice breaking. She described seeing a man with “unusually large eyes” silently watching them, his expression blank, neither frightened nor sympathetic.
Moments later, then Criminal Investigations Directorate chief Grace Akullo arrived at the scene and rushed Kagezi to Mulago Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead.
Namugambe told the court that her mother had been the family’s sole provider. Her death left four children and their elderly grandparents struggling to cope, emotionally and financially.
Despite having witnessed the attack, Namugambe said she could not identify the three men currently on trial: John Kibuuka, John Masajjagge, and Nasur Abudallah Mugonole.
Asked by the family’s lawyer, Sylvia Namawejje, what she hoped would come of the trial, Namugambe responded: “I want justice for my mother. I hope those responsible are held accountable and reformed.”
The trial is being heard by a panel of four judges, led by Justice Andrew Bashaija. The session was adjourned until 2 p.m. to allow for the second prosecution witness to testify.
Monday's proceedings came a week after another development in the protracted investigation into Kagezi’s assassination.
Daniel Kisseka, a former soldier who deserted the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in the killing.
He confessed to firing shots in the air to clear an escape route after Kagezi was gunned down.
Joan Kagezi, a prominent prosecutor known for handling high-profile terrorism and corruption cases, was killed in a targeted shooting as she drove through Kiwatule with her children.
Her assassination sparked national and international outcry and led to increased security for judicial officers in Uganda.
The trial is expected to continue this week, with several more witnesses lined up by the prosecution.