November 05, 2023
KAMPALA, Uganda | In a significant development, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Uganda, Jane Frances Abodo, has sanctioned charges of terrorism and murder against four prime suspects in the murder case of the Late Joan Kagezi. Joan Kagezi, a Senior Assistant DPP who headed the International Crimes Department in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), was tragically killed on March 30, 2015.
The murder had remained unresolved for nearly seven years, but a recent prosecution-guided investigation led by the DPP’s office and executed by a joint team, primarily consisting of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) of the Uganda Police Force, CT-Police, and ISO, has finally uncovered the facts surrounding the case.
Joan Kagezi was shot dead in Kiwatule, a suburb of Kampala, while on her way home. At the time of her death, she was the lead prosecutor in a case involving 15 suspects who were being tried for their involvement in the 2010 bombing orchestrated by al-Shabaab. The bombing had claimed the lives of more than 70 people at Lugogo and Ethiopian Village in Kabalagala.
President Museveni has often expressed his concerns over the delay in prosecuting Kagezi’s killers. During the 5th Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture held in Kampala on April 26, 2022 Museveni stated that the government knows the identities of the culprits but was surprised that, even seven years later, they have not been prosecuted. Museveni also inquired about the reasons for not extraditing the suspects to Uganda or prosecuting them in the country where they were residing in.
As the public prepares to the high profile murder trial of Joan Kagezi, this development represents a significant step forward towards delivering justice and closure for the family of the late Senior Assistant DPP.
