As recorded in the case Uganda Vs Molly Katanga and adapted from @TonyNatif on X.
A consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon (witness DW3XXX) tells Justice Rosette Comfort Kania that Mrs Katanga's injuries likely compromised functioning in her limbs, "especially grasping and the ability to lift anything".
He said this at the tail end of an examination-in-chief that had been abruptly interrupted last week by angry exchanges between two sets of lawyers, which prompted a visibly upset judge to walk out of her courtroom.
Yesterday, cooler heads prevailed, and after a brisk 10 minutes of work, defence attorney Elison Karuhanga was ready to hand Mrs Katanga's second expert witness to the prosecution for cross-examination.
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Like a well-drilled target worker, Karuhanga seemed set on getting just two issues addressed: no frills, no drama.
1- The timeline of the operations Mrs Katanga had in the IHK theatre on 2nd November 2023 and her return to the ICU for post-op recovery.
2-The impact of the injuries she suffered on her ability to carry, aim and shoot a firearm.
On the question of timelines, you might recall that in June 2025, Prosecution Witness 18, Aisha Birungi told Her Lordship Kania that on 2/Nov/2023 between 2 and 3 pm, she entered an ICU in which Mrs Katanga was and, without waking her or talking to her, swabbed her hands and buccal cavity to get samples that were later used for DNA and GSR analysis.
The defense at the time vehemently pushed back and challenged her to show proof she actually saw Mrs Katanga. They asked for a photo, video or even a mere signature in a book to show she was ever at IHK. None was provided. (See this link for the report we made back then: https://x.com/tonynatif/status/1935563182317142509?s=46)
Anyway, yesterday, the orthopaedic surgeon who worked on Mrs Katanga told Justice Kania that the neurosurgeon started surgery on Mrs Katanga's scalp from 11 am till lunchtime.
DW3XXX then took over and worked on Mrs Katanga's bone and soft tissue injuries, and the patient left the theatre at 3:30 pm for a theatre recovery area for an hour and a half.
She was then taken to the ICU (after 5pm) "for further monitoring and resuscitation to continue". (See video in frame 1)
This was long after PW18 said she'd taken the samples and delivered them to Jinja Road Police Station.
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On the injuries Mrs Katanga suffered and their impact on her ability to carry an object:
Karuhanga: "So, Doctor, you've described to my Lord the injuries: internal bleeding in both her forearms, fractures on the 2nd and 3rd fingers of the left hand, fractures on the wrist and pinky finger, a falling-off pinky finger, an open fracture and exposed bone on the left hand and the hanging part of the hand, extensive tissues and a finger that had lost all sensation."
He continued: "Doctor, together with the head injuries that you described, what would be the impact of those injuries (read: head and forearm injuries) on a person's ability to lift a 1 kg object, on coordination in the hands and on an ability to grip?"
DW3XXX: "From what I have as an experienced trauma surgeon and the nature of injuries I saw on this patient, especially in the limbs, but also from the fact that she's significantly bleeding, one of the things you get when you've just gotten that trauma is compromise of function, because that's the first thing, especially as far as grasping is concerned, and of course you get extreme pain when you try to move your fingers in that situation. So, it compromises your capacity to perform coordinated functions and lift anything" (See video in frame 2)
Note: A fully loaded Zastava CZ99 Compact weighs about 1kg.
After the witness was done answering, Karuhanga briefly leaned into a hurdle with his fellow defense attorneys then told her Lordship: my Lord, that's it from me, we can take the translation and then my colleagues can have the witness. He sat back and smiled
The prosecution asked for a 1-hour adjournment to prepare for cross-examination. It was granted.
Then at 11:30 am, they asked for more time to prepare.
Matter resumes today at 2pm
