The murder case in which five people are accused of killing Kampala businessman Henry Katanga has resumed at High Court on Wednesday.
During the session, defence lawyers cast doubt on the reliability of the DNA evidence presented in the trial.
Elllison Karuhanga opined that the machines used for DNA testing at the laboratory were contaminated, noting that presence of peaks in negative control tests that should not have tested positive for DNA.
The defence lawyer asked Police forensics director, Andrew Mubiru about the risk of contamination in the laboratory.
In response, Mubiru acknowledged that contamination is a significant risk but emphasized that the lab has an elimination database to mitigate this risk.
However, Karuhanga pointed out that no evidence of contamination was provided before the court.
The lawyer also alleged that Mubiru used an outdated and expired testing software from 2021, despite an updated version being available since 2024 which Karuhanga suggested could have compromised the accuracy of the DNA results.
The trial is still ongoing.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Samali Wakooli, has presented DNA evidence from various exhibits, including swabs from the crime scene, clothing, and personal items.
On Tuesday, Mubiru said that DNA analysis found no match between Molly Katanga’s DNA and samples taken from the pistol used in the crime.
Mubiru told court that the investigation included DNA analysis of samples from the pistol grip, safety lever, and trigger.
The court however heard that for instance, the electropherogram, a crucial tool for analyzing DNA profiles, was missing critical data, raising questions about the completeness of the evidence.
Mubiru also admitted that "stutter," a common artefact in DNA analysis, was manually removed from the report, which defense lawyers argue could have potentially altered the accuracy of the results.
A DNA allele was included in the report but not on the electropherogram, which defense lawyers suggest points to potential inconsistencies in the analysis.