The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
SPECIAL REPORT | ANTHONY NATIF | As recorded in court, in the case Uganda Vs Molly Katanga and adapted from @TonyNatif on X.
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Yesterday, June 17th, saw the state present its 17th and 18th witnesses. I’ll tell you about both, but it appears that PW18 might have testimony that could have far-reaching consequences on this case. I’ll tell you why in a bit.
The morning started off with PW17, Assistant Inspector of Police Emmanuel Odong. He’s a CCTV analyst based at the Directorate of ICT at the National Command and Control Center in Naguru.
He said he helped retrieve CCTV footage from the Katanga residence as well as footage from police CCTV cameras along Kinawataka Road, Bugolobi area, and in the Namuwongo area where IHK Hospital is based.
He told the court that he found no evidence that CCTV footage at the Katanga residence had been tampered with.
He also said he saw the vehicle that is said to have taken Mrs. Katanga from her home to Bugolobi Medical Center and then later an ambulance that’s supposed to have taken her to IHK.
The times correspond with what we’ve previously heard in court, so no major surprises there.
Now to PW18, who seems to be having a bit of a torrid time on the stand.
Her evidence is so crucial to this case that it might be almost impossible for the state to secure a conviction should it be found wanting.
See, she’s said to have collected the samples from Mrs. Katanga’s palms, fingers, and mouth that were used for analysis of DNA and gunshot residue (GSR).
The state, which took fingerprint samples and didn’t test them against the killer gun, is hoping to rely on this evidence to link Mrs. Katanga to the killer gun.
They’re left with making an argument that the presence of her DNA and the presence of traces of GSR on her somehow prove she shot the gun. It’s a long shot (no pun intended), but even that would fail miserably if PW18’s evidence is rejected for being unreliable.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
PW18 is called Aisha Birungi, a detective (AIP) currently attached to Parliament police. Her evidence in chief was led by Chief Prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya.
Back in November 2023, she said she was a Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) attached to Kabalagala police station in the IHK vicinity.
As a SOCO, her job entailed viewing scenes of crime, fingerprinting, collecting vital evidence from the crime scene, making reports, and going to court to testify in case there’s a need.
She said that on 2/Nov/2023, she was called by her boss to go to IHK to take samples from a murder suspect, Molly Katanga, who she says was admitted there in the ICU.
She says she arrived at the hospital around 2pm, signed in at the main gate (which she later said she didn’t), went to the reception where she met with a nurse named Flavia, and then later was introduced to a Dr. Brian, whose office she went to, signed a visitors’ book, and was ushered into the ICU where Mrs. Katanga lay on a bed “without any life support machines”.
She then says Nurse Flavia showed her a light-skinned lady whose entire arms were wrapped in bandages. She was asleep.
UgandaVsMollyKatanga
Yesterday saw the state present its 17th and 18th witnesses.
I’ll tell you about both but it appears that PW18 might have testimony that could have far reaching consequences on this case. I’ll tell you why in a bit.
You might wanna grab coffee.
The… https://t.co/L530xEMzMW pic.twitter.com/NyxM5lNeKs
— Anthony Natif (@TonyNatif) June 18, 2025
PW18 didn’t greet or talk to her because she’d been told not to. She went ahead to swab the palms of her hands and got a buccal swab (mouth), which she said was meant to get her DNA.
This is where the chaos started.
On cross-examination led by Mr. Elison Karuhanga of KAA Advocates, PW18 seemed to walk back the claim that she signed in the book at the main gate, saying instead she signed in one “Dr Brian’s” office.
At the instruction of his client, Elison put it to her that there wasn’t a Dr. Brian on Molly’s care team and there might not be one at IHK.
In a dramatic twist, he pulled out a medical chart from the hospital and put it to her that at the time she said to have seen Mrs. Katanga in the ICU (btn 2-3pm), she was in fact in theater having an operation and was only brought to the ICU at 5 pm.
He wondered how she could have swabbed Molly’s hands that she said were wrapped to the tip or how she could shove “things in her mouth” without incident.
Court resumes today with cross-examination by SC Kabega.
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