The accused persons implicated in the murder of businessman Henry Katanga have denied the charges against them. The key suspect and the deceased’s widow, Molly Katanga, has denied the charges, stating that while she understands the offenses read against her, it is not true that she committed the offense.
This occurred before the High Court Criminal Division presided over by Justice Isaac Muwata when the matter came up for hearing.
The court heard that on November 2, 2023, at Mbuya, Chwa II, in Nakawa Division, Molly Katanga allegedly killed her husband, Henry Katanga, with malice aforethought.
Molly’s two daughters, Patricia Kankwanzi and Martha Nkwanzi, who are jointly charged, have denied charges of destroying and tampering with valuable evidence that could have been used in the judicial trial to prove their father’s murder.
On the other hand, the family’s shamba boy, George Amanyire, and nursing officer Charles Otai have been charged with being accessories after the fact of murder, which they have also denied.
Earlier, the court paused proceedings to find a Rutoro language interpreter after one of the accused persons, Amanyire, expressed a preference for a trial conducted in Rutoro, the language he understands best. Eventually, Advance Ayesigwa, a VIP female bodyguard attached to the Counter Terrorism Police, was brought in as the interpreter to allow proceedings to continue.
The prosecution was led by Samalie Wakoli, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Chief States Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya, and Annah Kiiza. Several lawyers, including Former Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana, Brian Rubaihayo, and Edgar Ayebazibwe, were present in a watching brief capacity.
The court again took a break after Prosecutor Wakoli requested to amend the charge sheet to properly align it with the sections of the Trial and Indictments Act. Wakoli asked for a few minutes to include in the charge sheet the specific evidence that was allegedly tampered with by Molly’s co-accused and to add them to new counts.
Molly, who was brought to court in a wheelchair by the Safety and Security Unit (SSU) of the prison services, remains in remand at Luzira Women’s Prison, while her co-accused were granted bail about four months ago.
Shortly after the shooting of Katanga, Molly was found covered in a pool of blood and in a vegetative state under unclear circumstances before being rushed to International Hospital Kampala (IHK), where court records indicate she underwent five major head surgeries.
Molly was hospitalized for about two months before being produced in Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court, which committed her to the High Court for trial. She attempted to secure temporary release on bail twice, without success.
The first attempt was on April 9, 2024, when Judge Muwata denied Molly bail, citing a failure to prove exceptional circumstances, including the lack of a medical report from prison demonstrating that her condition could not be managed.
Subsequently, Molly made a second bail application, on April 15, 2024, during which the Uganda Prisons Service conducted another medical examination and stated that the assessment and monitoring of Molly’s illnesses exceeded their capacity.
Evidence presented in court indicated that Molly suffers from hypertension with multiple breast masses, paranasal sinusitis, vertigo, and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to prison doctors, a reevaluation showed that Molly had not received trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and had not been followed up by an ENT surgeon for her paranasal sinusitis and vertigo, as recommended in the treatment plan from Mulago National Hospital in a report dated February 8, 2024.
The decision to deny Molly bail has been challenged in the East African Court of Justice by the Democracy and Human Rights Watchdog, Legal Brains Trust, headed by renowned City lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde.
Court proceedings are ongoing, and this story will be updated accordingly.
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