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
Leave a Reply