The High Court’s Criminal Division has heard that the direction of the bullet that killed prominent businessman Henry Katanga contradicts the prosecution’s earlier claim.
During Thursday’s hearing before Lady Justice Rosette Kania, defense lawyer Jet Tumwebaze challenged testimony by the lead investigator, Detective Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bibiana Akong, who previously told the court that the fatal shot was fired from the left side of Katanga’s head and that the killer bullet was never recovered.
However, in a tense cross-examination, Tumwebaze argued that the evidence on the scene indicated otherwise. He told court that the trajectory of the bullet suggested it was fired from the right side of the deceased’s head, not the left as the prosecution had alleged.
Tumwebaze demonstrated using his head to show that a bullet traveling from right to left would likely strike the bedroom wall, where investigators indeed found a mark near the ceiling and a deformed projectile below it.
He argued that if the state’s claim of a left-to-right shot were true, the bullet’s path would have produced a mark on the floor rather than the ceiling.
When asked if investigators had found any bullet marks on the floor, Akong responded, “No, my Lord.”
The revelation adds a new twist to the high-profile case that has dragged on for nearly two years. It challenges earlier assertions by prosecutors that Katanga could not have shot himself because he was right-handed, yet the gunshot wound reportedly entered from the left side.
The court also heard that while Akong initially claimed two bullets were missing from the evidence count, defence counsel established that all 30 bullets could be accounted for.
She testified that 17 rounds were found in a room where Molly Katanga lay bleeding, which police attributed to her. Investigators suspected the bullets belonged to her because of her alleged dealings in arms an accusation the defence strongly objected to.
Akong also admitted under oath that Mrs. Katanga did not own a firearm, raising further questions about the origin of the bullets and the prosecution’s line of argument.
The late Henry Katanga was a licensed gun owner.
The trial continues on Monday, October 20, 2025, for further cross-examination.