In a fresh twist to the reopened investigation into the 2015 assassination of state prosecutor Joan Kagezi, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen. Kale Kayihura has publicly distanced himself from his once-powerful subordinate, Nixon Agasirwe, who was recently arrested over the case.
Speaking to a local television station, Kayihura dismissed claims that he had close ties with Agasirwe, stating that he was not responsible for recruiting him into the police force.
He revealed that Agasirwe was recommended to him for outstanding field performance by then Rapid Response Unit head, David Magara.
“People are trying to link me to Nixon because of his recent arrest, but the truth is I was not the one who recruited him,” Kayihura said. “He came highly recommended by his direct supervisors based on performance, not personal relations.”
Agasirwe, a former commander of the Police Special Operations Unit, was arrested on May 22, 2025, following testimony from former UPDF soldier Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka, who claimed that a man identified as “Nick” had ordered Kagezi’s killing.
Investigators now believe that “Nick” refers to Agasirwe.
Kayihura acknowledged that the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) had authored a report in the past linking Agasirwe to the high-profile assassination, but he said the report lacked substantial evidence. “There was a report, yes, but it was inconclusive,” he noted.
The former police chief, who himself was arrested and arraigned before the military court in 2018 on charges including aiding the unlawful repatriation of Rwandan fugitives and failing to protect war materials, was later granted a Presidential pardon by the Commander-in-Chief. Nixon was among the officers arrested alongside Kayihura in connection with the same operations.
Despite Kayihura’s attempt to create distance, public reaction has been skeptical. Several observers have challenged his denial of a close relationship with Nixon, noting that during Kayihura’s tenure as IGP, Agasirwe wielded immense power and operated with considerable impunity. Some analysts and former officers have described Nixon as one of Kayihura’s most trusted men, often entrusted with sensitive and clandestine operations.
Everyone knew Nixon was Kayihura’s blue-eyed boy. To deny that now is to revise history.
Nixon Agasirwe’s latest arrest may unearth long-buried details about the murky inner workings of the police under Kayihura’s leadership, especially in cases involving political violence, cross-border renditions, and unresolved murders.
The development is also likely to renew public calls for deeper scrutiny into the conduct of senior security officials during that era.
The Kagezi family has yet to issue a public statement following Agasirwe’s arrest. The slain prosecutor, who was leading terror-related prosecutions at the time of her death, was shot in front of her children in Kiwatule, Kampala in March 2015—a murder that sent shockwaves through the justice system and remains one of Uganda’s most pressing unsolved crimes.