As recorded in court, in the case Uganda Vs Molly Katanga and via @TonyNatif
Yesterday, this matter was back in the High Court before Lady Justice Rosette Comfort Kania.
It had graphic, chilling imagery as the prosecution led by Deputy DPP Samali Wakooli played footage of
@PoliceUg
's reconstruction of the crime scene using two individuals that are also charged.
The two individuals weren't at Mr & Mrs Katanga's home when the incident that led to his death happened but were first responders.
One is Patricia, a daughter of the couple and Otai, a medical personnel who has worked with the family for years.
The state presented their 14th witness, a transcriber and translator of English, Swahili and Luganda, with a career spanning 20 years. She currently works with
@ubctvuganda
and that's all the details you'll get about her.
A request was made in court that her name not be revealed due to fear of the ramifications that might come to her, her career and family. For purposes of this report, we shall call her "Jane Kasumba".
Through a combination of video footage and written transcription, court was taken through the house as the two individuals separately narrated their version of events on the fateful morning of 2nd November 2023.
The couple occupied the top floor of a palatial house at Chwa II road in Mbuya. This floor has two adjoining bedrooms. It's unclear whether they used both as their master bedroom.
According to Patricia's narration, backed up by Charles Otai, Mr Henry Katanga was found in a pool of blood on the couple's bed, head leaning against a mosquito net, bullet holes on both sides of the head, brains splattered on the net, with a gun besides him.
Molly Katanga was found in the bathroom of the adjoining bedroom, hunched over in a corner, surrounded by her blood and muttering, barely audibly, Runyankore words: "abaana bangye" (my children!).
Her panicked daughter Patricia on looking at the deep injuries on her head thought those were brains leaking out of her skull. According to the medical personnel, Otai, who was asked by Detective Bibiana Akong, whether these injuries could have been as a result of cuts, he said they were most likely a result of repeated banging on the back of her head that resulted in the skin splitting in various places and detaching from the skull. According to what court heard, it is the mix of blood and fat tissue that had initially got Katanga's daughter to think that her brains were leaking out.
According to Mr Otai, both of Mrs Katanga's arms were cut & broken and
"were only attached to the rest of the body by skin and muscle, otherwise broken bones were visible".
She had lost too much blood that immediate transfusion was done.
She was stabilized then rushed to IHK hospital in an ambulance-with her daughter driving behind it- for further management.
As for Mr Katanga, Mr Otai said he found him on the bed with two holes on either side of the head. He wasn't sure as to whether he was dead or alive but he quickly established he was dead because he felt no pulse.
He established that the cause was most likely a gunshot wound and he asked Patricia as to where the gun was. He asked her to bring it back and place it where she had found it; which, according to her, was besides him. Otai then sent for gauze and plaster & tried to close the two bullet holes that were oozing blood & brain.
#UgandaVsMollyKatanga
Yesterday, this matter was back in the High Court before Lady Justice Rosette Comfort Kania.
It had graphic, chilling imagery as the prosecution led by Deputy DPP Samali Wakooli played footage of @PoliceUg's reconstruction of the crime scene using two... https://t.co/sPd3DKR3MT pic.twitter.com/HFsPJAHpRB
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-- Anthony Natif (@TonyNatif) May 14, 2025
He also sent for a mattress so he could get Mr Katanga's body off the bed & straighten it in anticipation of "rigor mortis". This, according to him, is standard medical procedure.
He's also asked whether Patricia had called
@PoliceUg
officers, which she had done a while back but they hadn't yet come. He got his phone and frantically called the OC Bugolobi police post who informed him that he was organizing his team to go to the Katanga residence.
Indeed, police showed up soon after.
Mr Jonathan Muwaganya led the evidence in Chief & SC MacDusman Kabega did a quick, incisive cross examination.
Re-exam is this morning at 9:30 am
Court ended 6:48 pm!
