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Arthur Katanga, the deceased’s son, has filed an affidavit in response to an application for an inquest bemoaning the manner in which investigations into the case have been handled as well as the evidence collected so far.
In his statement, Arthur Katanga asserts that a postmortem report, initially denied to the family, was given to Barnabas Taremwa, purportedly the deceased’s brother-in-law.
“On 2nd November 2023 the police pathologist carried out a postmortem on the body of our father and assured our family that we were entitled to a copy of the postmortem. After repeated requests for a copy of the postmortem report, we were informed by the pathologist that we could not get a copy of the report as it was still the subject of police investigations and was therefore top secret and only in the possession of the CID officers investigating the case,” he noted
Arthur however says he was shocked that Barnabas Taremwa quoted the entire report, meaning he had access to it.
“That in the instant Application the applicants not only state the cause of death, and the position of the bullet but also specifically list the doctors who carried out the postmortem clearly showing that Barnabas Taremwa procured a copy of my father's post-mortem report from certain criminal elements in the police force,” he adds.
He also accuses Taremwa of misusing police evidence, including publishing pictures of his father’s body through proxies.
This alleged misuse of evidence he says, points to broader concerns about the respect for privacy and ethical standards in the handling of such cases.
“I know that Mr Taremwa through proxies including his daughter, purportedly acting on behalf of my grandmother and through other lawyers he instructed and hired caused to be published pictures of my father's dead body first in court documents in the family division. These pictures could only have been taken by a police scene of crimes officer (SOCO) and handed over to Mr Taremwa by the same elements of the Uganda Police Force.”
Athur therefore contends that the application for the inquest is frivolous and vexatious, contrary to law and public policy, and constitutes an abuse of the court process.
He also accuses Taremwa of spearheading a smear campaign in the media and interfering with police investigations.
These allegations suggest a convoluted conflict within the family, played out under the public eye, exacerbating the family’s distress.
“I know that in particular Mr Barnabas Taremwa has spearheaded a smear campaign against our family in the media, has directly interfered with the investigations of my father's death and directed it in a particular way and seeks to use this application to increase pressure on the authorities,” Arthur notes.
On Tuesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo authorized murder-related charges against a number of family members, among them Molly Katanga, who is currently hospitalized.