As the investigations into the brutal murder of city businessman Prince Henry Katanga unfolds, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni recently held a meeting with the grieving section of the family of the deceased. Among those present during the meeting were late Katanga’s mother, Kyobuhooro Katanga, her daughter Naume Katanga Nyangweso, and Marjorie Nyangweso, a niece to late Henry Katanga.
According to sources, the family convened with President Museveni on Tuesday January 9th at his residence in Rwakitura. Museveni was accompanied by First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni who is also late Henry Katanga’s Auntie.
You need to understand right from the start that there’s a big conundrum here and this saga is a big test for president Museveni, see why; Mr Geoffrey Kamuntu, who is reportedly blocking the trial of Molly Katanga is former husband to Museveni and Janet’s daughter, Diana. And now Janet is an Aunt to slain tycoon Katanga, and she wants justice for her son! In fact, according to sources at IHK, it’s believed that for the last two months, DPP’s office and other operatives have failed to access Molly Katanga courtesy of Geoffrey Kamuntu’s influence. According to our sources, Kamuntu even denied minister Bright Rwamirama, an Uncle to Katanga from accessing IHK to check on Molly recently.
During the meeting, President Museveni emphasized that justice must prevail for the slain Henry Katanga and further assured the family that no stone would be left unturned in the pursuit of justice.
Reliable sources close to the family told our Spy that President Museveni has, over the past few weeks, established his own parallel investigations team separate from that of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to ensure through investigations.
“Actually, Muzei established a parallel squad to compare notes with those of the DPP before some heads can start rolling,” our Spy close to the family revealed.
Now President Museveni’s intervention comes at the backdrop of accusations from the grieving family, alleging that his son-in-law Geoffrey Kamuntu used his connections to hinder justice. Kamuntu, the former husband of President Museveni’s youngest daughter, Diana Museveni, faced accusations from the family, claiming that his influence in the first family impeded the legal process.
Additionally, the family accused Molly Katanga’s handlers of bribing security personnel to protect her from facing justice, asserting that her confinement in the hospital was a means to evade the legal process.
“Let us even believe that she’s sick. That can’t stop the state from preferring charges against her and then she automatically becomes a property of Uganda prisons, meaning that she would now be a suspect and treated as such. It’s the prison officials that would be in-charge of her security at the hospital bed by now. That’s not the case now at IHK. In fact, You heard it well from the office of the DPP that her investigators are barred from accessing her,” Marjorie Nyangweso, a niece to late Henry Katanga recently told journalists after one of the proceedings at Nakawa Magistrate’s court.
Background Of The Saga
The saga began on November 2, 2023, when the nation woke up to the shocking news of the death of tycoon Henry Katanga who was found in a pool of blood. The cause of his death remains controversial with his biological daughters (Martha Nkwanzi Katanga, Patricia Kakwanza) and wife Molly Bunanukye Katanga (widow now) pointing to domestic violence, while other close relatives claim that family property disputes may have led to his tragic death causing a deep division within the family.
Since the investigations and court proceedings began, key suspects in the gruesome murder including Martha Nkwanzi, Patricia Kakwanza , Dr. Charles Otai, and George Amanyire, a domestic worker at the deceased’s residence have all been remanded to Luzira Prison while Molly Katanga has not been formally charged as she has not responded to all the court summons issued against her.
Up to date, Molly Katanga has remained at IHK apparently recovering from surgeries performed after she was allegedly injured during the violent fight that claimed her husband’s life on November 2 2023.
According to prosecution, Molly Katanga, with malice aforethought, killed her husband on November 2 at Mbuya, Chwa 2, in Nakawa Division, with the help of their daughter Nkwanzi.
Furthermore, on the same day, Nkwanzi and Kakwanza are accused of removing or destroying potential evidence at the crime scene, with the intention of preventing its use in judicial proceedings.
The incident happened after an alleged misunderstanding with his wife whom he worked with at their procurement and supplies firm called MERGE which had penetrated the system and would transact with government agencies with huge classified budgets.
A police report referenced SD21/02/11/2023 at Bugolobi police station indicates that Katanga was shot at close range and that no bullets and fragments were recovered after Katanga’s body which was delivered at the city mortuary on November 2.
The report further indicates that Katanga’s body was wrapped in a mattress cover, stuffed in a vehicle, and transported to Mulago hospital mortuary.
The details of who moved the body remain a subject of ongoing police investigations.
Police said it retrieved a pistol number UG1622200061CZ99 compact that is suspected to have been used in the commission of the crime.
Shortly after his death, inside sources revealed that Katanga was allegedly murdered hours before he appended his signature on a WILL that he had prepared a week earlier and kept it in a safe box inside his office.
Sources further noted that Katanga had prepared the necessary paperwork documenting all his wealth and had only shared that secret with his sister, Naome Nyangweso and his lawyer.
At the time of his death, another source within the family revealed that Katanga had just made a transaction of shs16 billion.
“Besides working with Molly, he had other different lines of making his own money including money lending. He had so far gotten shs16 billion,” a source who preferred anonymity revealed at the time.
Katanga had been taking care of a number of orphans of his dead siblings and loved them as his own children including the two children of his sister Naome; Timothy Nyangweso and Marjorie Nyangweso.
Relatives highly anticipate that Katanga was planning to distribute all his property equally in a WILL among his biological children and other orphans which could have annoyed whoever pulled the trigger to end his life.
“The plan was to kill him that very day because there was no time to wait since he was planning to leave home and sign the papers,” another relative said.
According to Naome, Katanga’s lawyer was aware of the death threats that his client was facing and his death did not surprise him that is why he(Katanga) was racing against time to finish the WILL which was never a success.
While as Katanga could have prepared and signed the WILL a little earlier, he was busy with arrangements for giveaway and wedding functions for his foster daughter Patricia alias Tricia for over two weeks.
Tricia is among the suspects, and she was remanded to Luzira prison on murder charges. At the time of the shooting, Tricia confirmed to police that she was present and revealed how her father and mother got a misunderstanding before she heard a gunshot.
Katanga was one of the Ankole princes while his wife Molly is a relative and close confidant to key government and security officials who are allegedly trying to save her from facing murder charges. Watch the space…..
