Katanga trial: Police doctor says Molly’s wounds point to self-defense

At the High court last week, the murder trial of Molly Katanga, accused alongside four others of killing her husband, prominent businessman Henry Katanga, took a dramatic turn.

The prosecution’s 22nd witness, a senior police pathologist, said injuries on Molly’s body were consistent with a woman fending off an attack. Dr Moses Karuhanga, 51, director of Police Health Services, told the packed courtroom that he was asked by Jinja Road police station to examine Molly on November 8, 2023, six days after the fatal shooting inside the couple’s Mbuya residence.

“The request instructed me to examine a lady called Molly Katanga who had allegedly sustained injuries in a fight in their marital home, during which Katanga was shot and died instantly,” he testified.

At the time, Molly was hospitalized at Kampala International hospital in Namuwongo, Kampala.

RESTRICTED ACCESS 

Dr Karuhanga recalled that when he arrived at the hospital with a police officer, he was met not by doctors, but by Geoffrey Kamuntu, a close family associate.

According to the pathologist, Kamuntu laid down strict conditions before he could see Molly: no photographs, no public disclosure of findings, and no direct statement from the patient. Nevertheless, Karuhanga proceeded with the examination, accompanied by Dr Justine Onen of the hospital.

WHAT THE DOCTORS SAW 

On the stand, the pathologist gave a meticulous account of Molly’s injuries. He described severe swelling on her left hand, where two stitched wounds, measuring two and four centimeters, were accompanied by a large bruise about eight centimeters wide.

Her right fore-arm had been fractured and fixed with a stainless steel pin, while the swelling on the wrist and gangrene forming on her little finger suggested significant trauma. Both shoulders bore large bruises; 20 by 13 centimeters on the right and 22 by 10 on the left.

On her scalp, multiple stitched wounds were visible, including one at the back of her head that stretched nine centimeters and required nine stitches.

“In total, Molly Katanga had more than 60 stitches in her body,” Dr. Karuhanga told court.

“These are the kinds of injuries one suffers while defending oneself from a traumatic  event. However, it is also possible for the attacker to get injured in the process.”

No injuries were found on her chest, abdomen, or lower limbs. The doctor was cautious: his findings, he stressed, were not conclusive, but suggested “defense wounds”—injuries typically sustained when someone raises their arms or shields their body from blows.

LEGAL FIREWORKS

Why the examination took place a week after the shooting soon became a flashpoint. Dr. Karuhanga explained that the investigating team had told him they were initially unable to reach Molly because she was “under private security.”

Defense lawyer Elison Karuhanga immediately pounced, objecting that the doctor was relaying hearsay.

“He cannot testify on what he was merely told,” the lawyer argued. But lead prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya stepped in, saying the doctor was simply explaining the timing.

“He is only stating why the examination happened later than usual. That cannot be dismissed as hearsay.”

Defense counsel McDosman Kabega pressed further, reminding the court that another police officer had in fact examined Molly on the very day of the shooting, suggesting Dr Karuhanga’s delayed report might not be the only official record.

WHAT COMES NEXT

The courtroom exchange underscored what has defined the Katanga case from the beginning: layers of conflicting accounts, whispers of private influence, and a nation watching closely as the trial unfolds.

For the prosecution, the testimony bolsters the theory that Molly was engaged in a violent struggle before the gun went off. For the defense, the delays, restrictions, and contradictions raise doubts about reliability and motive.

The case, which has gripped Uganda since the November 2023 killing, resumes this week with more witnesses expected to take the stand.