The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has submitted the case file of the late businessman Henry Katanga to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for further review and decision on the charges to be filed against the deceased’s wife, daughter, and male house helper.
Katanga was found dead inside his bedroom at his Mbuya Hill residence on November 01, 2023. Police investigations have concluded that his death resulted from a domestic dispute with his wife, Molly Katanga, which escalated into a fatal shooting.
Ballistic experts have confirmed that Katanga was shot in the head using a pistol UG 1622200061CZ99. The findings of the investigation have been presented to detectives from CID, who have sought the DPP’s guidance on the appropriate charges to be filed against the key suspects.
While Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, declined to disclose details about the suspects, it has been established that the file lists Molly Katanga, her daughter, Tricia Katanga, and a male house helper as potential suspects.
Enanga confirmed that some suspects have been arrested, while others have been turned into witnesses. Reports suggest that Molly was found unconscious inside the master bedroom and was taken to the International Hospital Kampala (IHK) for treatment. Allegedly, Tricia and the male house helper moved Katanga’s body from the master bedroom, where he was shot dead, to a mattress in the sitting room.
“Tricia was at home when this incident happened. She is the one who called her other sister to rush home after the shooting. There were attempts to erase evidence, a reason the body was removed from the murder scene to the living room,” sources said.
Katanga’s murder was first reported to Peter Ogwang, the Officer in Charge of Bugolobi police station, who later alerted Jinja Road Main Station. Police officials, led by Deputy Inspector General of Police Maj Gen Geoffrey Katsigazi Tumusiime and Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander Stephen Tanui, reportedly rushed to the scene.
The deceased’s other daughter and Dr Charles Otai have since turned into witnesses. It has emerged that Dr Otai was called to offer first aid after the shooting with the hope of saving Katanga’s life, but unfortunately, it was too late.
Police, working with the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), reportedly arrested Dr. Otai and the male house helper but later handed them over to the police, who are detaining them at the former Special Investigation Unit – SIU Kireka, currently occupied by the Flying Squad Unit and Crime Intelligence.
Katanga’s murder remains a complex case with conflicting accounts. Some claim he committed suicide after a heated argument with his wife, Molly Katanga, while others insist it was the latter who pulled the trigger, ending the former’s life.
Katanga was one of the surviving princes of the disbanded Ankole kingdom, born in the Rubindi sub-county, Mbarara district. If it turns out that Katanga was killed by his wife Molly, it will be another complex murder, akin to that of Jacqueline Uwera Nsenga, who was sentenced to a 20-year jail term in 2014 for the murder of her husband Juvenal Nsenga.