🔴 Anthony Natif notes from Court: Uganda Vs Molly Katanga and Others July 16/2026 b

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, adapting court notes by Anthony Natif, reported on July 17, 2026, that DNA evidence remained a central issue in Uganda v Molly Katanga and Others. The proceedings concerned the death of businessman Henry Katanga on Nov. 2, 2023, and whether DNA findings on a pistol could assist the court in determining who fired the weapon. The matter is before Justice Rosette Comfort Kania, after earlier DNA evidence had been presented before Justice Isaac Muwata.

According to the report, Uganda Police Director of Forensic Services Andrew Kizimula Mubiru previously testified that Molly Katanga’s DNA was dominant on the pistol magazine, trigger and trigger housing, while her husband’s was a minor contribution. Prosecutors relied on that evidence during submissions that led to Katanga being put on her defence. The defence has challenged the reliability of the DNA process, calling a British forensic DNA expert identified as Defence Witness 4.

During cross-examination by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Samali Wakooli, the defence expert disputed the usefulness of a later swab taken from gun parts that had already been swabbed. She told court, as reported, that if an initial swab was properly done, any DNA left for a later swab would likely be too limited to provide a representative result. The report also noted defence concerns about documentation of Mubiru’s lab swab and questions over why a Scene of Crime Officer’s earlier swab of the trigger was not the one relied on.

The Independent said the expert further argued that because the gun was recovered from a bed shared by the couple, the presence of DNA from both could not establish the order of contact or, by itself, identify who discharged the firearm. The court was expected to resume the following Monday at 9 a.m.