KAMPALA, Uganda — The head of the Uganda Police Force’s Health Service Directorate testified Monday that Molly Katanga, accused of murdering her husband, had multiple defensive wounds on her head and hands.
Dr. Moses Byaruhanga, who testified as the 22nd prosecution witness, told the High Court that he examined Katanga and found more than 60 stitches on her body, primarily on her head. He described the injuries as “defense wounds,” which are sustained when a person tries to protect themselves during an attack.
“All the injuries described … were defense injuries,” Byaruhanga told the court presided over by Justice Rosette Comfort Kania. “These are a type of injuries sustained by an individual when he or she tries to defend herself or himself.”
Byaruhanga said he was asked to examine Katanga on Nov. 8, 2023, after she was admitted to International Hospital Kampala. The request, he said, stated that Katanga had been injured in a fight at her home, during which her husband, businessman Henry Katanga, was shot and killed.
When asked what object could have caused the wounds, Byaruhanga suggested a blunt object like a stick or a baton. He noted that his report was not conclusive and needed to be corroborated with other evidence, such as that from the scene of the crime.
Molly Katanga has been charged with murder in the Nov. 2, 2023, death of her husband. She is being tried with her two daughters, Martha Nkwanzi and Patricia Kakwanza, who face lesser charges of destroying evidence and being an accessory after the fact to murder. Charles Otai, a medic, and George Amanyire, a domestic worker at the Katanga home, are also co-defendants.
