Martha Nkwanzi Katanga, the 29-year-old daughter of deceased businessman Henry Katanga, surrendered in court today to face trial for destroying or moving valuable evidence related to her father’s murder.
Nkwanzi, a student, had evaded prosecution for two months. Her lawyers informed the Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court that the new mother was receiving treatment for postpartum trauma at a Kampala hospital.
Chief prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya, however, challenged this claim, arguing there was no justification for Nkwanzi’s absence, especially since she was receiving outpatient treatment. He requested an arrest warrant, which Presiding Chief Magistrate Elias Kakooza granted, ordering police to apprehend Nkwanzi on sight.
Following her lawyer Macdusman Kabega’s advice, Nkwanzi surrendered this afternoon to be formally charged. Dressed in a red-flowered long dress with a black denim jacket and mask, she entered court flanked by family, friends, and her legal team.
Standing alone in the dock, Nkwanzi heard the court clerk read details of her case, where she is jointly charged with her elder sister, Patricia Kakwanza. The prosecution alleges that on November 2, 2023, at the family home in Nakawa, knowing that certain items could be used as evidence in a judicial proceeding, Nkwanzi and Kakwanza removed, destroyed, or concealed them to prevent their use.
If found guilty, both sisters face a minimum sentence of three years in prison. However, despite the offense being triable in the magistrates’ court, Chief Prosecutor Muwaganya objected to Nkwanzi entering a plea, arguing that it arose from the capital charge of murder against their mother, Molly Katanga.
Magistrate Kakooza overruled the objection, asserting his court’s authority to handle Nkwanzi’s plea. Consequently, Nkwanzi pleaded not guilty to the charges of destroying evidence.
Widow Molly Katanga reportedly remains hospitalized for wounds allegedly sustained during her husband’s murder. All three family members, along with family shamba-boy George Amanyire and medical practitioner Charles Otai, stand accused of being accessories after the fact of Henry Katanga’s murder.
Nkwanzi joins Kakwanza, Amanyire, and Otai in remand at Luzira prison. Meanwhile, a criminal summons mandates Molly Katanga to appear in court on January 22, 2024, to answer charges related to her husband’s death.
