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Katanga feared his phone was being tapped, witness tells court
Henry Katanga's widow Molly Katanga appears in High Court via a live link screened from Luzira Prison on July 12, 2024. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Further hearing of the case resumes July 15.
The fifth prosecution witness, a technician by profession, Friday morning took to the dock and testified that deceased businessman Henry Katanga confided in him, fearing that unknown people were hacking his phone.
Testifying in chief before presiding Kampala High Court judge Isaac Muwata, 27-year-old technician Pierre Kajura said he operates from Nkurumah Road in Kampala- and that he came to know the late Katanga in 2017.
According to him, this is when he (Katanga) could deposit money with them in addition to helping him (Katanga) to connect his laptop to a printer.
When asked whether if he interacted with the deceased shortly before the fateful day, Kajura, who was being led by Principal State Attorney Anna Kiiza, answered in affirmative.
"He (late Katanga) told me someone is trying to hack and track his phone. So, he asked me how he can overcome the issue of phone tracking," the witness told court.
Adding: "I told him we can use the aid of passwords, and I said that is the only way in IT to solve this."
Further in his testimony that lasted about 18 minutes, Kajura said on November 1, 2023, which was the day before Katanga's body was found with a gunshot wound at his matrimonial home in Mbuya, requested that he removes the passwords he had installed for him.
He reasoned that the late Katanga found difficult in operating his phone with passwords.
"Before his death, we practiced those passwords. I gave them to him to practice from home. He went home and practiced that but on November 1, 2023, he said he didn't want the password anymore because they were giving him difficulties in using his phone," the witness told court.
However, in his testimony, the witness did not disclose who was behind the late Katanga’s alleged phone hacking and tracking.
Also in his testimony, he told court that he didn't know any of the suspects in the court dock including widow Molly Katanga, who is the key suspect in the ongoing murder trial of the businessman.
She was on Friday appearing in court via a video link from Luzira Prison’s female wing.
The witness also described the late Katanga as a jolly man noting that he referred to him as uncle although they were not related.
Molly Katanga is jointly charged with her two daughters Patricia Kakwanza and Martha Nkwanzi, who face lesser charges of destroying evidence and being an accessory after the fact of murder.
The other accused persons standing trial include nursing officer Charles Otai and family shamba boy Geroge Amanyire with the pair facing similar charges like the Katanga duo daughters.
Further hearing of the case resumes July 15.
