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DNA Evidence Cannot Prove who Fired the Killer Gun: Defense DNA Forensics Expert agrees with the Prosecution’s DNA Forensics Expert
SPECIAL REPORT | ANTHONY NATIF | As recorded in court, in the case Uganda Vs Molly Katanga and adapted from @TonyNatif on X.
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Yesterday, just after 2:30 pm, the British DNA forensics expert stepped out of the witness stand for the last time, having fully discharged her duty to the High Court of Uganda in a case where she appeared as the 4th Defense Witness (DW4).
After multiple days fielding questions from the defense and prosecution in sessions that were at times cordially professorial and professional but at times became downright nasty, DW4 was off the stand, but not before echoing the very words that the state’s lead DNA Forensics expert (PW8) Mubiru told then presiding Judge Isaac Muwata: “DNA evidence cannot be used to prove who fired the gun in this case.”
Mubiru is the Director of Forensic Services in Police. He and his department played a central role in this case, generating a lot of the scientific evidence that’s arrested the attention of Lady Justice Rosette Kania’s Court.
Mubiru took the trigger and trigger house swab from the killer gun, analyzed DNA evidence, reviewed the report and also testified as the state’s expert.
It is his report that DW4 placed under the forensic microscope and found wanting, advising Justice Kania to completely disregard it for being born out of a grossly contaminated process whose results were meaningless, worthless and not helpful in answering the question of who, of Mr and Mrs Katanga, pulled the trigger of the gun that ended the late Henry Katanga’s life.
On that all-important question, the two experts stand in agreement that the DNA report cannot answer it.
This is in stark contrast to the prosecution’s submissions in the ‘no case to answer’ stage wherein they convinced Justice Kania that the presence of Mrs Katanga’s DNA on the gun, especially its reported dominance on the trigger and trigger house as well as the magazine, was proof that she operated the gun and indeed actively participated in killing Henry.
UgandaVsMollyKatanga
DNA Evidence Cannot Prove who Fired the Killer Gun: Defense DNA Forensics Expert agrees with the Prosecution’s DNA Forensics Expert
Yesterday, just after 2:30 pm, the British DNA Forensics Expert @lahingley stepped out of the witness stand for the last… https://t.co/JWFfufleA3 pic.twitter.com/P8fuYgCL7n
— Anthony Natif (@TonyNatif) July 21, 2026
In a blistering re-exam led by Elison Karuhanga (EK), DW4 reiterated her position that the state was stretching the interpretation of DNA evidence to levels of absurdity; a place their own expert couldn’t dare go.
She said even if one were to say the DNA evidence had been collected, analyzed and reported perfectly, it still couldn’t tell the court as to who fired that gun.
EK: My learned friend, Ms Wakooli put it to you that Molly cannot be excluded as a (DNA) contributor to the barrel, the magazine and the trigger while my learned friend Mr Muwaganya asked you if she can be removed as the shooter. My question to you is; what is the significance of those particular findings?
DW4: When I first heard the case context, my expectation was that DNA from Molly and Henry and likely Patricia was going to be obtained irrespective of what’s happened. Therefore, the presence of DNA from Molly, Henry and Patricia is totally expected and it’s reasonable to assume that their DNA is present.
EK: Does that mean that one of them shot?
DW4: Oh, no! The DNA result itself does not help address in any way who fired that gun.
EK then asks her to clarify on SW’s assertion that DW4’s report is based on a bunch of assumptions.
DW4: Always have assumptions. We never know exactly what happened. However, they must be robust and scientifically able for challenge. In my final evaluation, even though I highlighted significant risks to the integrity of any result obtained; from the crime scene to the laboratory, through the laboratory and then subsequent evaluation, irrespective of all of that, my final opinion is that everything is perfect, the DNA results stand, the DNA does not help address who fired that gun!
Over protests from Assistant DPP Samali Wakooli who said their expert only did source level analysis, DW4 told Justice Kania that one of the last questions PW8 was asked was “does DNA help to address who fired that gun”? He said no
She agreed.
