The fight for justice for late Henry Katanga is set to expose and put top Ankole Sub Region families to a test on who holds superior powers of influencing decision making in the country as all is set for a mouthwatering legal battle.

This conclusion is drawn after Justice Jane France Abodo the Director Public Prosecution (DPP) sanctioned murder charges against Molly Katanga, widow to the deceased, her daughter Martha Katanga Nkwanzi and Patricia Kakwanza who is being charged with the offence of Destroying evidence.

The DPP also charged George Amanyire and Charles Otai, a medical doctor.

A joint team of detectives from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), Internal Security Organisation (ISO) and the police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been investigating the circumstances under which tycoon Katanga was killed inside his master bedroom at Mbuya a Kampala City suburb.

According to a police postmortem report, after police pathologists and family doctors examined Katanga’s body, they reached to a conclusion that he was killed.

The Postmortem report is part of the evidence that the DPP is set to use against the accused persons after investigations established that the deceased’s murder was intentional and the prime suspect is the wife who is still under tight security at International Hospital Kampala (IHK) Intensive Care Unit.

Since the investigation kicked off on November 2, 2023 when the deceased was murdered, detectives working on the file are yet to interact with the main suspect.

However, her lawyers of Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA) have confirmed that their client is ready to interact with the investigators.

The other suspects are currently being detained at Jinja road police station and Special Investigation Unit Kireka. They have already recorded their statements over the matter.

Highly placed sources at the DPP chambers revealed to theGrapevine that Justice Abodo has been facing a lot of pressure from different influential government and security officers who are connected to the suspects and the deceased and on two occasions, she has been referring the files back to police for further investigations to close all the gaps.

Sources added that there was no way Justice Abodo could not have sanctioned the files because whatever she instructed the investigators to do, they have been doing it.

This kind of alertness led to investigators discovering that the crime scene was tampered with after the main suspect committed the crime.

According to the Monitor News Paper, a top government official and some security bosses are involved in this battle to save their beloved with others involved because they want to ensure that the deceased gets justice.

They include: Brig. Charity Bainababo the deputy commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC) who is a cousin to the deceased; Marjorie Nyangweso a Human Resource expert and also niece to the deceased, Naomi Kashishane a security expert and sister to the deceased, Mirieli Kyobuhoro the deceased’s mother and a friend to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Maj. Bright Rwamirama the State Minister for Agriculture and uncle to the deceased, Col. Naboth Mwesigwa Rwabwera, Director of Protocol, Defence ministry friend to Molly, Maj. Gen. Sam Kavuma, Deputy Coordinator and former ADC to president Museveni who is a friend to Molly, Lt. Gen. James Mugira the Managing Director National Enterprises Corporation and also the deceased’s cousin, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Katsigazi the Deputy Inspector General of police who is also the deceased’s relative.

Others are; Lt. Col. Albert Kashakamba cousin to the deceased, Lt. Col. Benon Muhinda Biteeya a cousin to the deceased and Patricia Katanga step daughter to the deceased.

According to a petition filed at the Civil Division of the High Court Kampala, lawyers from M/S Kanduho & Company Advocates led by Frank Kanduho together with Paul Kutesa’s M/S Arcadia Advocates claim that there is a clandestine move by influential officers in government to make sure that the deceased does not get justice by helping the suspect walk free.

Two powerful law firms representing Barnabas Bwaniaga Taremwa, a close friend to the deceased, want Court to establish a committee of experts to investigate the cause of his friend’s death.

However, to protect their rights, Molly and her daughters have also hired President Museveni’s longtime lawyers of the Kampala Associated Advocates(KAA) to head the fight for their rights.

It should be remembered that when the former Inspector General of police Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura was arrested on charges related to treason, he also hired the same law firm and was saved.

The same law firm also saved controversial city businessman Matthew Kanyamunyu who was charged with the murder of Kenneth Akena, a social worker. Senior counsel Peter Kabatsi and John Jet Tumwebaze led the negotiation to convince the DPP to accept their pre-bargaining prayer.

They further convinced the trial judge Stephen Mubiru to accept the five years sentence which they had agreed upon with the DPP even though there was overwhelming evidence which would have sent Kanyamunyu on death penalty.

KAA lawyers further saved Kanyamunyu’s girlfriend Cythia Munwangari who was also charged with offences related to murder. The charges were dropped immediately when KAA took over the matter from lawyers Caleb Alaka and Evans Ochieng.

It is very likely that Molly’s team hired KAA Advocates to use their influence and legal expertise to make sure that their people don’t die in prison.

Sources also revealed to theGrapevine that Molly has also hired Macdusman Kabega commonly nicknamed as the ‘devil’s advocate’ of Tumusiime Kabega & Company Advocates.

Kabega has saved a number of prominent personalities.

They include: the late Dr Aggrey Kiyingi Ssebowa who was facing murder charges after state alged that he masterminded the murder of his wife Robinah Kiyingi.

Dr. Kiyingi was acquitted.

Kabega also saved Sarah Nabikolo Ssebunya who was acquitted after State failed to convince court that she was behind murder of her husband Eria Bugembe Ssebunya alias Kasiwukira.

If the trial of Molly and her daughters kicks off, they are likely to face off with DPP’s top legal brains who include Thomas Jatiko with the help from a team of lawyers from the DPP on behalf of the deceased friends.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Iganga Resident Judge David Batema is in trouble after lawyers of Alma Associated Advocates accused him of hiring Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) Operatives who are threatening their client a one Stephen Kunya in the multibillion shillings case before him.

In their letter dated 31^st October, 2023 and received by the judge’s chambers in Iganga, the lawyers requested the Batema in good faith to recuse himself from writing a judgment between Charles David Kunya against Moses Isiko Bogere to save the face of justice.

“To avert the imminent injustice, we pray that you recuse yourself from the hearing of the appeal. Based on the old adage; ‘Justice must not only be done but it must be seen to be done’. On the face of it all, we only see bias in you and we don’t expect any justice from you in respect of Appeal N0. 70 of 2023 formerly HCT Civil Appeal N0. 91 of 2015. We are positive that you will take this request in good faith to save the face of justice,” the lawyers’ letter reads in part.

In their letter the lawyers are claiming that their client’s matter was heard at Jinja High Court and parties were directed to file their written submissions which was done. However, before the judgment could be written, the file was transferred to the newly created High Court circuit in Iganga.

They added that their client who is currently in prison informed them that a person who identified himself as the judge’s secretary called him and informed him that the judge wanted to talk to him in respect to the said appeal. This alleged secretary also informed him that he should not go with his lawyers because the matters which they were going to discuss don’t need lawyers.

The lawyers added that their client honored the invitation and went to the judge’s chambers but he was shocked to find Peter Tugalage the person he is battling with in court before him with his lawyers.

Before he settled down, the judge started ranting asking why they had executed a consent judgment.

He also informed them there and then that he has the said consent judgment and if the lawyer who executed it appears before him in court, he was going to arrest him.

Kunya’s lawyers accused the judge of telling the parties in the meeting that he was going to only consider the letters of administration which were granted to Tugulage in respect of the late Kamu Tugulage and not the letters of administration which were granted to Moses Bogere in the respect of late Mirabo Bwote.

They accused the judge of telling their client that his appeal has no merit and that he did not see any reason why the lawyers advised him to make an appeal.

Kunya’s lawyers added that while they were still strategising on their next move, the same judge’s secretary informed Kunya that the judge wanted to talk to him again.

When he reached his chambers, the judge had already prepared the Iganga District Police Commander, Officer in charge of Iganga Criminal Investigations who arrested their client on the judge’s orders over a complaint he made at Iganga Police Station accusing him of trying to steal a court file. He was charged with the offence of attempting to commit a felony.

The claim that the judge recorded a police statement stated that he directed the Chief Magistrate to cancel the letters of administration in respect of the estate of the late Moses Bogere.

“You have confessed that you hired an informer from CMI and trapped our client. As lawyers in the matter, we also express our displeasure that your court has never issued any hearing notice inviting us for any hearing but rather the court found it convenient to deal with our client directly yet we are on record since 2015,” the lawyers further stated in their letter.

They added, “For now, we have clearly understood the intention of dealing directly with our client which was to innocently trap him right from the beginning.”

The letter further stated that it is on that background therefore that sanity, equity, and justice demand that he recuse himself from the hearing of the appeal because of the reason that he is an interested party and on his own motion.

theGrapevine has made several attempts by making phone calls to Justice Batema but he did not pick our calls.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Kiwatule locals in Nakawa Division, a Kampala suburb led by George Balintuma the local area chairperson have accused Festo Makana the area police commander of being responsible for the high crime rate in their locality including shielding criminals who are raping women.

Speaking to theGrapevine, Balintuma claims that his residents have reported several complaints to Makana concerning the deadly criminal gangs which are terrorising them along Northern bypass yet he does nothing.

He cited one Julius Bahati who was attacked by goons early this year and was badly beaten and all his belongings were taken. He was found in the morning in the trenches where he was picked from by police and taken to Mulago hospital. A few hours later, doctors pronounced him dead.

He also gave another incident of a resident who was early this month attacked on Northern bypass and badly beaten. She was also gang raped. In the morning, she was picked and taken to  Annex Medical Centre in Kiwatule for treatment.

Other residents told theGrapevine that the problem with Makana is he does not pick calls when locals call him for help and does not carry out routine patrols to scare away these gangs or even carry out operations to arrest them.

“During weekends, he closes the police post and allows his men to go home leaving us at the mercy of the goons. The problem is he has overstayed in the area without being transferred, so he has gotten familiar with it and does what he wants,” a resident said.

They also accused him of always threatening them whenever they tell him that they are going to report him to his superiors.

He even once bragged that no one can touch him because he is very connected to the ‘Aboves’ in police.

However, Richard Magezi, also a leader in Kiwatule refuted his colleagues’ allegations against Makana.

Magezi explained that the man is always on ground but his biggest challenge is the increased number of criminal gangs in the area.

He pleaded with fellow residents to stop pointing fingers but work together to fight criminality in their area.

However, when contacted, Makana rubbished all the allegations insisting that he has enemies in security circles who are fighting him.

He added that he is always on ground with his men even during weekends.

He also explained that this is his third year in the area not the fifth and added that he is not the one responsible for his own transfer.

By Grapevine Reporter