In the eighth and final part of our summary capturing what all 25 witnesses said in a case where Molly Katanga is being tried for the murder of her husband, Henry Katanga, on November 2, 2023, we capture what experts from the Uganda Police Force said while on the stand. (*Links to all previous articles have been attached at the end of this article)
Molly is facing trial, together with her two daughters-Martha Katanga and Patricia Kakwanzi-as well as a medical worker Charles Otai, and long-serving Katanga shamba boy George Amanyire.
The latter four are facing charges relating to evidence tampering and being accessories after the fact.
The court will render a decision on February 19, 2026 as to whether the prosecution has established a prima facie case against the accused persons. Below is a summary of what witnesses 24 and 25 told the court.
Detective Sergeant David Beteise
He was an investigating officer in this case and worked directly under DSP Bibiana Akongo, who led the investigations. He is attached to Jinja Road Police Station, in the Criminal Investigations Directorate under Homicide Desk.
He was the Investigating Officer (IO) in this case.
His roles as IO entail investigating homicide cases, interviewing suspects, conducting searches, arrests, compiling files and sending them to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), bringing suspects to court; plus testifying in court.
The police veteran of 31 years said on November 2, 2023, the day of Henry’s death, he was at Kinawataka on other duties with then Jinja Road OC-CID, Bibiana Akongo.
The latter received a call informing her of a case of alleged suicide by shooting in the Mbuya area. The call came in at around 10am.
They proceeded to the Katanga residence on Plot 50 Chwa II road in Mbuya. The team was led by Akongo and had Corporal Tonny Oryokot, Constable Owinyi and other uniformed police officers. Scene-of-Crime-Officer (SOCO) AIP Emmanuel Olugu (PW20 in this case) was also part of the team.
They found ASP Peter Ogwang, the then OC Bugolobi Police Station, together with AIP Samuel Musede and another female crime intelligence officer attached to Bugolobi.
When they reached the residence, ASP Ogwang briefed them that he had received a call from Charles Otai (A4) informing him of a case of suicide by shooting, which he responded to.
Sergeant Beteise said: ‘Upon reaching the scene, the facts weren’t revealing suicide, they were instead revealing murder.’
ASP Ogwang and AIP Musede made a decision to cordon off the scene. He then said AIP Musede, who was at the main entrance of the house, preserved the scene.
ASP Ogwang then led them to Patricia (A2), who led them to George Amanyire (A5), who in turn led them to Charles Otai (A4).
Otai introduced himself as a family doctor and led them to what Sgt Beteise called ‘the seat of the crime’ on the first floor of the house.
Upon reaching the first floor, they found the master bedroom closed but with a key in the lock.
Otai opened the door before the SOCO, Olugu, entered and made a walk through while Sergeant Beteise remained at the open door.
The SOCO took photos of the scene as he found it.
Olugu made some photo identifiers and placed them on key exhibits he had identified.
When SOCO was done with his photography, DSP Akongo, Sergeant Beteise, Oryokot, Owinyi entered and also had a walk through.
Sgt Beteise told court that Henry was shot from the left side of his head and the bullet exited on the right.
Under cross examination, he couldn’t explain why there was no bullet marking on the side the bullet is supposed to have exited from yet there’s a bullet marking on the opposite side.
Mr Beteise also accompanied the body of Henry Katanga to the city mortuary in Mulago, made a postmortem request and observed the process.
He said by the time the body was taken to the mortuary, the investigators had concluded that it was a homicide and not suicide.
Under cross examination by Mr MacDusman Kabega, Mr Beteise was asked why then he filled ‘alleged suicide’ in the postmortem request form if indeed they had ruled it out.
He said it was because ‘the matter was still under investigation.’ Mr Beteise was asked whether fingerprints and nail clippings were taken from Henry’s body during postmortem, to which he said no.
However, a postmortem was read to him and it indicated they’d indeed been taken. The defence in this case has repeatedly accused the State of suppressing evidence like fingerprints because, in their opinion, it is adverse to their case.
Mr Kabega asked him to confirm that none of the accused persons was being tried under the computer misuse act; which he confirmed. The import of this being that the state confiscated mobile phones of the accused persons for digital forensics analysis. They say they relied on a court order gotten under the Computer Misuse Act.
Clement Otiti
The Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) was the 25th witness and the last prosecution witness in this case. He is a 29-year-old police officer attached to the directorate of forensic services in Uganda police.
He works in the department of criminal identification under the section of crime scene management in the evidence response team. Mr Otiti is a crime scene examiner specialising in bloodstain pattern analysis. His role entails examining blood stains at crime scenes to aid investigations.
He joined the police in 2019 and started practicing as a bloodstain pattern analyst in 2022. He holds a diploma in animal production and management from Busitema University (2018) and a basic police induction certificate (Learner asst inspector). AIP Otiti said when he was invited to the scene of crime, he realised the string line method they usually use for blood pattern analysis couldn’t be effective here because there were multiple surfaces on which the blood was deposited. He said there was blood on all the walls of the Katanga master bedroom, on the ceiling, floor and other multiple surfaces.
Through his supervisor Damian Serunjogi, AIP Otiti requested a specialised tool (HemoSpat tool) which he said would be more accurate. Police procured it on November 22, 2023 and the analysis was done thereafter. AIP Otiti told Justice Comfort Kania that the cast-off blood patterns he saw were consistent with blood deposited by an object in constant motion, perhaps indicating that someone was swinging an object with blood, going back to get more blood onto it and swinging it again. The defence says Henry beat his wife, Molly, with a blunt object and it is this object that spread her blood all over the room. Henry’s blood was only found on the mattress the couple shared.
Mr Otiti said in his opinion, upon analysis of events at the scene, there were numerous violent movements in the room as blood was being exposed to various surfaces. When asked by Chief Prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya as to what he meant by violent movements, Mr Otiti said: ‘In the context of bloodstain pattern analysis violent movements means forceful or energetic activity that results in the formation of the [blood] pattern.’
AIP Otiti then continued: ‘Cast-off blood on the ceiling suggests blood was ejected over time from an object in motion.’ He authored his report on January 2, 2024 and sent it to CID on January 25, 2024.
Asked by the defence whether he knew that by the time of filing his report, the accused persons had been charged and committed, Mr Otiti said: ‘No, I didn’t know that.’
With him, the prosecution rested.
Justice Kania invited the defence to file written submissions on a no case to answer by December 22, 2025, with the prosecution replying on January 28, 2026.
And if there’s any rejoinder by the defence, that should be submitted by February 5, 2026. A ruling on whether the prosecution has established a prima facie case will be delivered by February 19, 2026.
Evidence
The crime scene at the Katanga residence (Plot 50, Chwa II Road, Mbuya) did not support suicide but indicated homicide.
The master bedroom on the first floor was identified as the seat of the crime.
The bedroom door was locked, with the key left in the lock.
Photographs of the crime scene were taken before any interference, with photo identifiers placed on key exhibits.
Gunshot wound evidence showed Henry Katanga was shot from the left side of the head, with the bullet exiting on the right.
There was no visible bullet exit marking on the side where the bullet was said to have exited, despite a marking on the opposite side.
The body was taken to Mulago City Mortuary, and a post-mortem examination was conducted.
A postmortem request form was filled indicating ‘alleged suicide.’
The postmortem report indicated fingerprints and nail clippings were taken from the deceased’s body.
Mobile phones of the accused persons were confiscated for digital forensic analysis, based on a court order obtained under the Computer Misuse Act.
Bloodstains were found throughout the master bedroom, including on walls, ceiling, floor and multiple other surfaces.
A HemoSpat bloodstain pattern analysis tool was used due to the complexity and spread of bloodstains.
Cast-off blood patterns were identified, indicating blood was deposited by an object in repeated motion.
Bloodstains on the ceiling suggested blood was ejected over time from an object in motion.
The bloodstain patterns indicated numerous violent and forceful movements within the room.
Henry Katanga’s blood was found on the shared mattress, while other blood was distributed widely across the room.
A bloodstain pattern analysis report, dated January 2, 2024, was prepared and submitted to CID on January 25, 2024.