Katanga Murder Trial: Call Logs Contradict Key Witness Testimony
Defense counsel Jet Tumwebaze introduced evidence showing that the late Katanga and Ms Nyangweso spoke only twice in the two months leading up to his death, casting doubt on her earlier testimony.
Mobile phone call logs presented in court have contradicted testimonies of a key state witness, Naome Nyangweso, and her claims of closeness to the late Henry Katanga.
Ms Nyangweso has previously told the High Court Criminal Division that she was in constant touch with the late Katanga in the month leading up to his alleged murder.
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However, defense counsel Jet Tumwebaze introduced evidence showing that the late Katanga and Ms Nyangweso spoke only twice in the two months leading up to his death, casting doubt on her earlier testimony.
One of these calls revealed Henry's decision to choose his cousin, Lydia Kabirisi, to play the important cultural role of "ishenkazi" (paternal aunt) at his daughter Tricia's wedding, a position traditionally held by a paternal aunt.
The defense argued that Naome resented this decision, blaming her sister-in-law, Molly Katanga, for influencing Henry’s choice.
Under cross-examination, Naome admitted she didn’t feel obligated to care for Henry’s bereaved family after his death.
"Why should I care about Henry’s widow and her children?" she asked the court.
In contrast, Henry’s phone records revealed frequent communication with his wife, Molly, showing at least two calls daily from September until the day of his death on October 30th.
These findings suggest a strained relationship between Henry and Naome, contradicting her earlier assertions of being his confidant.
The defense team proposed that Naome's accusations against Molly were driven by personal resentment rather than truth. However, the prosecution objected to several of the defense's questions, citing concerns over relevance and prejudice.
The trial was adjourned until tomorrow, with further cross-examination of Nyangweso expected. Her credibility remains under intense scrutiny due to inconsistencies in her testimony.
Defense lawyers previously accused Nyangweso of intentionally delaying the trial by opting to testify in Runyankore rather than English, despite her proficiency in both languages.
Suspicion arose after it was revealed that she had previously issued three police statements in English and serves as the LC1 chairperson for Bugolobi, a Kampala suburb where English is predominantly spoken.
Moreover, Nyangweso has faced tough questioning over her actions on the day of Katanga’s death. Her credibility has also been challenged by revelations from a separate land dispute case involving the late Prince John Barigye and the estate of the late Arthur Edwin Katanga.
In that case, Nyangweso falsely testified under oath that she was the biological daughter of Arthur Edwin Katanga, a claim that has since been proven untrue.
