In a heart-wrenching incident that unfolded in the early hours of Thursday, Kampala businessman and Ankole Prince, Henry Katanga, met a tragic end following a heated altercation with his wife, Molly Katanga, in their marital home near Rivonia Suites in Mbuya, Kampala.
The unfortunate sequence of events began when Katanga returned home after a night of revelry with friends, an action that evidently didn’t sit well with Molly.
Tensions quickly escalated between the couple, culminating in a chilling moment when a loud gunshot echoed from their bedroom.
The couple’s daughter, Tricia, was alerted by the commotion and hurried to her parents’ bedroom. What she encountered was a scene of unimaginable horror, with her father, Henry, lying lifeless, his head oozing blood, while her mother, Molly, lay unconscious on the bedroom floor.
Rushed to IHK Hospital in Namuwongo, Kampala, Molly’s condition took a dire turn. The family of the deceased alleges that Molly was responsible for her husband’s tragic demise, claiming that she shot him during the altercation.
On the other hand, Molly’s family members offer a different narrative, contending that Katanga had inflicted such a brutal beating on Molly that he believed her to be dead and subsequently decided to take his own life. It’s worth noting that both families boast strong connections within the upper echelons of the country’s political and military establishment.
Molly, a prominent supplier to the defense ministry, earns billions of shillings annually, while a significant number of her relatives serve in the armed forces.
As the nation awaits a statement from the police on this high-profile case, it’s a stark reminder of the tragic death of another wealthy Kampala businessman, Juvenal Nsenga, in 2013.
Nsenga lost his life when his wife, Uwera, ran him over with a car at the gate of their family home, their relationship marred by unresolved domestic issues. Uwera was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for Nsenga’s murder.
The Katangas had attended their daughter’s wedding at the Mestil Hotel just this past Saturday, where they were seen in high spirits by close friends. Their sudden turn of events has left those who knew them perplexed, with one friend emphasizing, “We really don’t understand what could have gone wrong.”
The tragedy also casts a harsh spotlight on the alarming rise of domestic violence cases in Uganda, as documented in police records.
In 2022, a total of 17,698 cases of domestic violence were reported to the police, marking a 0.94% increase from the 17,533 cases reported in 2021. Furthermore, 301 cases of murder resulting from domestic violence were reported to the police in 2022, underscoring the urgent need for greater awareness and support in combating this disturbing trend.
