Anthony Natif@TonyNatif
UgandaVsMollyKatanga: Mrs Molly Katanga opens her defense with Defiance, Grit and Bravery.
Yesterday, 26th March 2026 was the day Justice Rosette Comfort Kania set for Mrs Molly Katanga and her 4 co-accused to start their defense in a murder case that’s now past the 2 year mark.
At just past 10:30 am, Henry Katanga’s widow physically made it into a packed courtroom, was helped into the witness stand by two prisons staff, faced her accusers and told them she didn’t do it and in fact, she was a victim of grievous domestic violence at the hands of her deceased husband who took his own life.
It was the first time in nearly two years that the matriarch of the Katanga household physically made it to court; having appeared via video link from Luzira prison throughout the entirety of the prosecution’s case.
It was exactly one month past the date that Justice Rosette Kania invited Mrs Katanga to defend herself and explain to court how her husband died, how she ended up with GSR on her, her DNA on the gun, who opened the bedroom door etc.
Led by Peter Kabatsi, SC, Mrs Katanga told court about the events that transpired in the lead up to the death of her husband -of 32 years-by a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head, on the morning of 2 Nov 2023.
She called their marriage a “normal marriage” and her late husband with whom they had 4 children “an introvert”, “a quiet man”, “a gentleman”.
She told court that on 1 Nov 2023, she got home from work after 5pm, went for her usual walk up Mbuya hill, got back, took a shower, joined their youngest son who was doing his homework, fed him then he went to bed at around 7 pm.
Her husband came home between 7:30 and 8 pm. He told her about his money lending business struggles; a business that she says was the source of stress to him because his clients weren’t paying him back as they should.
She named the late “Aponye” who she said died with his debt of about UGX 1.5 Billion. She called him a friend of the family for more than 20 years and that his death threw her late husband in an emotional tailspin.
She told court that she assured him the company would pay and that while Henry and “Aponye” often dealt without need for written agreements, upon his death, agreements recognizing the debt were drawn up with his company.
She told court that Henry repeatedly told her he was depressed. She said she encouraged him to see their family Doctor, a one Dr Karuhanga whose practice is on Uganda House in Kampala. He saw the Doctor who wrote him a prescription but he refused to fill said script, instead saying this was business stress that would eventually pass.
On the evening of 1 Nov 2023 when Mr Katanga returned home, they sat in the upper sitting room, adjacent to their bedroom. He kept telling her he was stressed. She encouraged him to calm down. After a while, she left him and went to the prayer room to pray. It took an hour. She returned, tapped him goodnight and went to bed.
He later joined her in bed, she said, but that he didn’t sleep much.
At 6am on the fateful morning, she woke up and went to the bathroom. She was brushing her teeth when Henry entered the bathroom and started beating her. She tried to hide under the sink. He yanked her away from the sink; it broke.
He slammed her head on the door leading back to the bedroom, hit her head on the door handle. He was beating her with a baton. He dragged her to the bedroom and continued beating her. She was screaming for help.
After a while, the beating stopped. He called her name “Molly, Molly, stand up”. She couldn’t stand up. He then went and opened the door, came back and told her he was going to kill himself. She heard a loud bang, thought he had shot her. Then silence.
She crawled to the door, leaned on it and opened it using her elbow. She crawled to the other room, the skin of her head hanging on the sides. Her head had been cut open due to the beatings.
She said she didn’t know where Henry was after the blast.
Cont’d..