Inside the Katanga Murder Mystery: Star Investigator D/SP Akongo Bibiana Lifts the Lid on a Web of Lies, Missing CCTV, and an Attempted Cover-Up, Escape!

KAMPALA, Uganda: The courtroom, presided over by Lady Justice Rosette Comfort Kania, fell into a tense silence last week as Detective SP Akongo Bibiana, the lead investigator in the Henry Katanga murder case, took the stand for her second and third days of testimony. Her detailed account painted a chilling picture of what she described as a coordinated cover-up, strategic obstruction, and an attempted manipulation of the crime scene before police could intervene.

Suspicious Activity and Sudden Arrests

According to Bibiana, her team arrived at the Katanga residence on November 2nd 2023, following the death via shooting, of businessman Henry Katanga. From the onset, she said, inconsistencies among domestic workers raised red flags. She testified that she arrested `Dr.` Charles Otai and Patricia Kakwanza, the deceased’s daughter, immediately after her senior, Detective ACP Bob Kagarura confronted Otai, asking if he knew he was speaking to a police officer.

This confrontation followed overheard conversations between Otai and Patricia, allegedly agreeing on a false version of events. Bibiana went on to arrest George Amanyire, one of the household staff, after Musede, another worker. Amanyire had been found“mopping blood”at the scene. Another househelper, Nantume, was detained after CCTV footage showed her cleaning downstairs. When questioned, she said she had been called upstairs by Amanyire.

Chef Nuwahereza was also arrested after claiming he had no idea there was a body in the house and had remained in the kitchen. However, CCTV footage revealed that he and Amanyire had changed clothes during the crucial morning hours from around 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m, when the household’s routine abruptly shifted and the cameras temporarily went off.

When the footage resumed, several people appeared in different clothes. This, Bibiana said, reinforced suspicions of a deliberate attempt to conceal evidence and mislead investigators “From what we saw, there was clearly a coordinated effort to change the scene,” she testified, adding that “it was not natural.”

Enters The Curious Case of A-PLUS Funeral Services

Adding to the suspicion, Bibiana said that on the same morning, A-PLUS Funeral Services arrived to collect Katanga’s body, even though police had not made the call. Typically, she noted, funeral service companies collect remains from police mortuaries, not private homes.

Her intelligence team later informed her that A-PLUS had been called by a man identifying himself as Dr. Otai, who claimed the body should be taken to Bombo Military Hospital and recorded as an accident case. A-PLUS confirmed that the authorization contact came from a woman’s number later linked to Patricia Kakwanza.

Bibiana told court how she wrote to A-PLUS, seeking verification. The company responded in a stamped letter dated November 18, 2023, confirming that calls had been made on November 2 at 9:00 a.m, notably, before any police officer had reached the scene. The body, however, was eventually redirected to the KCCA mortuary for a formal post-mortem after police intervention.

Access Denied at IHK

The next day, November 3, 2023, Akongo’s team proceeded to the International Hospital Kampala (IHK) to interview Accused Number One (A1), Molly Katanga, the widow and primary suspect. But upon arrival, they found Special Forces Command (SFC) soldiers guarding the ward. “They told us they had orders from a man named Geoffrey Kamuntu, who claimed to be Molly’s brother and next of kin,” Bibiana recounted.

When Bibiana finally accessed the ICU area, she found Molly sitting upright on a bed, texting on her phone, with no life support machines around her. Yet, the hospital staff had insisted she was in the Intensive Care Unit. Smelling a foul play and fearing an escape, police deployed counter-officers around the hospital.

Their concerns deepened after intelligence suggested plans were underway to smuggle Molly out of the country through Kenya. Indeed, Molly had unsuccessfully asked the President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to allow her go get specialized treatment from Kenya. Bibiana said her team discovered a long ladder, positioned at Molly’s hospital window at night, which IHK claimed, was part of renovations.

When Molly was later scheduled for a surgery allegedly lasting three hours, she remained in theatre for over twelve hours. When police attempted to monitor her, Kamuntu allegedly grabbed an officer, preventing access, resulting in a scuffle and his arrest for obstruction of justice.

Police management later briefed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who wrote to the Ministry of Health, requesting a team of independent specialists to examine Molly. Two months later, in January 2024, doctors concluded she was medically capable of giving a statement, which she eventually did, with her lawyers present.

Scene Reconstruction and Missing CCTV Footage

Bibiana’s testimony also revealed major inconsistencies with the home’s CCTV footage. While cameras captured regular activity on November 1, 2023, including both Henry and Molly returning home that evening, the recording for November 2nd was partially missing.

Notably, the footage that should have shown Molly leaving home and the daughters, Patricia Kakwanza and Marthar Nkwanzi returning, was absent. Electrical checks confirmed there was no power outage or load-shedding that morning, a finding verified by Umeme, the power distributor.

Police obtained a court order to access the property’s electricity data, but when Umeme and police technicians arrived, armed soldiers allegedly blocked them, tearing up the court order and barring entry. “We found the army deployed at the deceased’s home,” Akongo said. “They refused us access to the meter and destroyed the court order.”

A Scene Already Changed

During her testimony, Bibiana described the Katanga home as a “tampered” crime scene. She said the gun had been moved from the master bedroom to another room by Patricia, while Amanyire had collected a live bullet and placed it on the bed. She also noted that `Dr.` Charles Otai arrived at the scene carrying an unidentified bag, having already met with Molly before police arrived. “This was not the original scene,” she emphasized, adding that the “evidence had been moved, cleaned, and altered before we got there.”

Right-Handed Shooter?

In her final remarks, Bibiana said forensic checks showed the deceased’s firearm was legally owned and regularly renewed, with no record of misuse. Training records from the Police Training School in Kibuli confirmed Katanga was right-handed, an important detail as investigators try to establish whether the gunshot wound could have been self-inflicted.

Reading The Unwritten

Bibiana’s meticulous testimony, stretching over two full court days, left defense lawyers visibly unsettled as she recounted, document by document, the sequence of arrests, intercepted plans, and recovered inconsistencies that form the backbone of the state’s case. The trial continues, with cross-examination of the lead investigator expected to test the credibility of her evidence, and possibly unravel what truly happened inside the Katanga home on that fateful morning of November 2, 2023.

Author Profile

Stanley Ndawula: Stanley Ndawula is a two and a half decades’ seasoned investigative journalist with a knack for serious crimes investigations and reporting. He’s the Founding Editorial Director and CEO at The Investigator Publications (U) Limited