By The trial of Molly Katanga, a widow accused of murdering her husband Henry Katanga, continued for the second day, with the prosecution presenting its third and fourth witnesses. Henry Katanga died on November 2, 2023, in what prosecutors allege was a deliberate plot by his wife to end his life.
Molly Katanga is charged alongside her daughters, Martha Nkwanzi and Patricia Kankwanzi, with tampering and destroying evidence that could have proven their father’s murder. They are also accused of aiding and abetting the crime, along with the family’s shamba boy, George Amanyire, and Charles Otai, a Nursing Officer.
Peter Ogwang, the Officer in Charge of Bugolobi Police Station, testified before the court, presided over by Criminal Division Judge Isaac Muwata, that Patricia Kankwanzi, one of the deceased’s daughters, had asked him to cover up her father’s death and report it as an accident. Ogwang advised her to involve a Scene of Crime Officer instead. He recounted that around 9 am on the day of the incident, he received a call from Dr. Charles Otai, informing him of a shooting at a residence in Mbuya. Upon arrival, Ogwang found Samuel Musede, the police liaison officer, guarding the scene and described the gruesome sight of Henry Katanga’s body on a new mattress, covered with a bed sheet, surrounded by a significant amount of blood, with a black pistol nearby.
During cross-examination, it emerged that some details from Ogwang’s oral testimony were not included in his written statement, recorded on November 6, several days after the incident. The defense team, consisting of Elison Karuhanga, McDusman Kabega, Bruce Musinguzi, John Jet Tumwebaze, and Peter Kabatsi, requested the court to admit his statement as an exhibit, questioning the reliability of Ogwang’s testimony.
In separate testimony, Timothy Nyangwesho, the deceased’s nephew, described his attempts to reach his uncle on the day of the incident. He mentioned that he slept at his mother’s home in Bugolobi and left at 7 am. An hour later, his mother, Naome Nyangwesho, asked him to call Katanga, but he was unreachable. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact Katanga, Nyangwesho was informed by his mother that Katanga had died.
Nyangwesho then drove back to Bugolobi and, together with his mother, proceeded to Katanga’s home in Mbuya, where they found senior police and army officers. He stated that a UPDF officer stopped him from going upstairs, allowing only his mother to proceed.
Under cross-examination by Elison Karuhanga, Nyangwesho confirmed that he recorded a statement at the police station on January 8, 2024, two months after the incident. Karuhanga suggested that this statement was made to fill gaps in the investigation. He also questioned Nyangwesho about his phone conversation with Martha, noting that Nyangwesho’s phone number was not listed in the police forensic report. Nyangwesho admitted that the number he called was not saved in his phone.
The prosecution, represented by Assistant DPP Samalie Wakooli, Chief State Attorneys Jonathan Muwaganya, and Annah Kiiza, requested an adjournment to bring more witnesses, which the court granted.
Former Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana and lawyers Edgar Ayebazibwe and Brian Rubaihayo represent the interests of the deceased. All accused individuals, except Molly Katanga, who appeared via a Zoom link from Luzira Women’s Prison, are currently out on bail. The trial will resume on Friday, July 12, 2024.
