KAMPALA, Uganda — A top military intelligence officer told a High Court panel last week that a two-tiered forensic investigation, separated by nearly a decade, was what finally helped track down suspects in the 2015 murder of state prosecutor Joan Kagezi.
Lieutenant Frank Nyakairu, of the Defence Intelligence and Security, testified that the initial probe after Kagezi’s murder proved inconclusive, but a more recent one led to the identification and arrest of two men. Kagezi was shot dead on March 30, 2015, in the Kampala suburb of Kiwatule while in her car with her children. She was a key prosecutor in the trial of suspects in the 2010 Kampala twin bombings.
A Decade of Technical Intelligence
Nyakairu explained that in 2015, he was tasked by the then-Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura, to conduct a technical intelligence sweep of the crime scene. Using advanced software and techniques learned from Israeli training, he analyzed “cluster information”—a term for the telephone numbers active in the area at the time of the murder.
The initial probe cleared all suspects who had been arrested. “So many suspects had been arrested then and while using the same software, all of them were cleared. They were innocent, they were not near, never communicated with any person at the scene,” Nyakairu told the court. The team was subsequently disbanded.
The investigation was revived in August 2023 when the director of the Criminal Investigations Directorate, Tom Magambo, pointed to a suspect, John Masajjage. Nyakairu re-analyzed the original data and found that Masajjage’s telephone number had been active at the Kiwatule network mast at 7:10 p.m. on the day of the murder. He also later tracked a second number linked to another suspect, Daniel Kiwanuka Kisekka.
Learn how investigators used advanced software to analyze phone data, leading to a breakthrough in the Joan Kagezi murder case. The trial reveals how technology cracked a decade-old mystery.
Suspects Apprehended
Additional testimony from a police officer and a witness detailed the arrests and identification of the suspects.
Superintendent of Police Edward Kasita said that on Aug. 24, 2023, he arrested a man matching a detailed description of a suspect—a short, light-skinned, one-eyed man who wore shades and a helmet. The suspect confirmed his identity as Masajjage.
The testimony of Samuel Nsanja, Masajjage’s brother-in-law, provided a key link. Nsanja said Masajjage showed up at his home in Buvuma District in April 2015. Nsanja was shocked to later see a photo of Masajjage in a newspaper, with a 20 million Ugandan shilling bounty for his capture over the Kagezi murder. Nsanja said he immediately contacted police, but Masajjage had already disappeared.
The trial continues with these testimonies as prosecutors build their case against the accused.
This video is a news report on the children of the late Joan Kagezi testifying in court, which is relevant to the emotional impact of the murder case being discussed.
