🔴 Anthony Natif notes from Court: Cross Examination of PW24, Detective Sergeant David Beteise

SPECIAL REPORT | ANTHONY NATIF | As recorded in court, in the case Uganda Vs Molly Katanga and adapted from @TonyNatif on X.

****

Cross Examination of PW24, Detective Sergeant David Beteise

Date: 10/Nov/2025

After about 2 hours and 42 minutes of examination-in-chief, the prosecution, led by Assistant DPP Samali Wakooli, said, “My Lord, that’s all that we had for this witness. He’s now available for cross-examination.”

Up stepped MacDusman Kabega, who immediately launched into PW24’s professional background: when he joined the police, the rank he entered at, how long he held it, his current rank, and whether he expects to be promoted to the next rank.

He joined the police force in 1994 as a Probational Police Constable (PPC). He was deployed to the field, and after 14 years, he was promoted to the rank of corporal, and in 2022, he was promoted to sergeant, a rank he holds to date.

MK: I’m meant to understand that promotions in Uganda police are based on merit. Correct?
DB: yes, my Lord.
MK: what is the next rank from sergeant
DB: Assistant Inspector of Police
MK: You’re yet to get there
DB: I’m expecting it. (laughter in court).
MK: Okay. Now, you have no formal training in examining wounds. Do you?
DB: I have, my Lord; according to my training.
MK: Do you have any certificate relating to training in analyzing wounds?
DB: My Lord, I have a certificate in general CID investigations
MK: we are talking about wounds
DB: It covers all, my Lord. In police, apart from specialized units, when you go for the induction course in CID, you’re trained generally.
MK: Mr Beteise, you have no specialized training in wounds. Do yo have?
DB:I have a certificate in CID induction course, my Lord….which covers all that.
MK: I’m talking about specialized training in wounds, not general.
DB: My Lord, those who specialize in wounds are doctors and nurses. I’m a police officer.
MK: Thank you. So, I can suggest to you that since you’re not the expert, you cannot simply look at a wound and say this is exit and this is entry, because you do not have that training.
DB: That’s not true, my Lord.
MK: I want to suggest to you that, that is a scientific determination by experts, not a sergeant.
DB: “my Lord, there are some wounds that require experts, like internal and covered wounds, those we can’t examine. But there are some wounds which we can look at and differentiate that this is a wound by a panga or by a sharp object or a piercing object.”

As he finished his sentence, Mr Kabega seemed to have got what he wanted and was flipping to another issue. He takes him to his statement…

MK: you recall that you documented whatever you did in your statement.
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: When was that?
DB: my Lord I don’t recall the dates unless I look at the statement.
MK asks if he wants to refresh his memory. His statement is given to him.
DB: My Lord, I recorded this statement on 17th Jan 2024. (Note: Mrs Katanga was charged on 21st Nov 2023).
MK: By the time you made that statement, whatever you put down was still very fresh regarding what you’d done. Correct?
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: you signed it?
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: it is self recorded..
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: and as an investigator, whatever is in that statement is what you observed at the scene as true..
DB: my Lord, this statement is a summary of what I saw, what I did and what I observed.
MK: Listen to the question: that statement, is what you observed at the scene and its what you put down
DB: my Lord, as earlier stated, what I saw, what I observed and what I did, this is the summary of it.
MK: whatever is not there, where would one find it?
DB: my Lord, that’s why I’m here.
MK:supposing you weren’t here, would anybody come and testify on your behalf using that statement?
DB:yes, my Lord
MK: would he know what’s not summarized in the statement?
DB: my Lord this statement would be corroborated with other documents I handled and they’d be fine, my Lord.
MK:so if anybody were to come and testify regarding that statement, they’d also have to go through the file regarding what you observed?

UgandaVsMollyKatanga

Cross Examination of PW24, Detective Sergeant David Beteise

Date: 10/Nov/2025

After about 2 hours and 42 minutes of examination-in-Chief, the prosecution, led by Assistant DPP Samali Wakooli, said:“my Lord, that’s all that we had for this witness. He’s now… https://t.co/xmHJ9Y5MPo pic.twitter.com/2Nyfr2NWsT

— Anthony Natif (@TonyNatif) November 19, 2025

DB:they’d look at this statement but there are some other documents which would corroborate my statement.
MK: Now, you told her Lordship, you took a court order to the (Katanga) home in order to retrieve a meter. Right?
DB:Yes, my Lord
MK: you were denied access and the court order was torn
DB:yes, my Lord
MK:that is a very important piece of evidence as far as you’re concerned. Correct?
DB:yes, my Lord
MK: it’s not anywhere in your statement
DB:as I earlier told my Lord, it (the statement) was a summary
Mr Kabega interjects: please answer the question!
DB: it’s not in my statement
MK:By the time you wrote this statement, you’d already got the court order. Correct?
DB: No, my Lord
MK: it is your evidence, that when you got to the (Katanga residence) with Bibiana (and co), Otai led you to the scene and opened?
DB: yes
MK: I want to suggest to you that is a lie
DB: it’s not.
MK: in fact, Otai did not even lead you to the master bedroom
DB: My Lord, it’s Otai who opened the door
MK: can you have a look at your statement. I want you to stay with it. I want you to go to the middle of the first page where you state…“I, together with other detectives”. Read to court.
DB reads: “I, together with other detectives and SOCO Jinja Road, Olugu, accompanied ASP Akong Bibiana, OC-CID Jinja Rd to the said scene at plot 50 Chwa II Road, Mbuya and we found one Peter, OC Bugolobi was already at the scene preserving it.
The main scene was in the master bedroom and it had been closed. We opened it.”
MK: read properly
DB: “we opened the door and on examining the scene,….”
MK: you can stop there. You can see that there’s no mention of Otai leading you there. Correct?
DB: my Lord, I used the word “we”.
MK: okay, fine. Is Otai mentioned as being with you? DB stammers…Mr Beteise, please let’s not waste time. You have mentioned detectives and SOCO Jinja road, Olubu. Is Otai mentioned there?
Judge: Mr Beteise, is Otai mentioned there? You’ll clarify in re-examination..
DB: Otai is not mentioned there.
MK: aha, read “we”…
DB: “we opened the door and on examining the scene…”
MK: you can stop there. There’s no Otai opening the door for you.
DB: yes
MK: it is you and the detectives who opened the door to the master bedroom, according to the statement.
DB: my Lord that’s why I used the word “we”.
MK: Now, you’re saying that “we” opened the door and examined the scene. Correct?
DB: yes, my Lord
MK:By that you mean you were examining the scene with Otai?
DB: My Lord that’s why I used the word “we”. Otai is among “we”.
MK: so, you examined the scene with him?
DB: he was the one leading us
MK: when you entered the master bedroom, everything was scattered and blood was allover the room.
DB: no, my Lord
MK: there was blood on the floor, walls, curtains, bed, bathroom….
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: and what you saw was an indication that there had been a scuffle. Yes?
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: that is what you put down in your statement
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: Can you read it for the court?
DB reads: “we opened the door and on examining the scene, the whole room was scattered with blood, right away from the door to the bathroom/washroom, including the curtains, door frames indicating that there was a scuffle in the room before the death of Katanga Henry”

(Note: DB had earlier told court that they found the room neat)

MK: when you approached Amanyire, he told you, did he not, that he heard a scuffle in the master bedroom.
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: so, when you tell her Lordship, that you found the whole room well arranged, that is a lie
DB:my Lord, it’s not a lie.

Mr Kabega then shifts gears to the alleged motive. PW23 and PW24 had told court that they found a condominium purchase agreement signed by Mrs Katanga but not by Mr Katanga and they’d suspected that this triggered disagreements that led to his death.

Mr Kabega asks DB about that and calls for the agreement

It’s to this that Mr Kabega turns:

He started by asking as to who recovered the purchase agreement from the couple’s bedroom. DB said it had been recovered by Jinja Rd Police SOCO, Olugu.

He had the agreement handed to the witness but not before Chief Prosecutor, Jonathan Muwaganya had a once over.

MK: is that the agreement which was recovered in your presence?
DB: this is the agreement, my Lord
MK: it was concerning what?
DB: agreement for sale of a condominium
MK: who was selling?
DB: National Security Fund
MK: National…? Read it properly
DB: I’m sorry. It’s between National Social Security Fund and Henry Katanga and Molly Katanga.
MK: So, the buyers were who?
DB: It was Molly Katanga and Henry Katanga
MK: Not only Molly Katanga; Correct?
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: so, the Katangas were the ones buying the property?
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: Had NSSF signed?
DB: No, my Lord
MK: So, how does that give you the motive of a murder?
DB: my Lord, it added to the suspicion.
MK: I want to suggest to you officer that your narrative that that agreement led you to that suspicion is very false. There’s nothing in it.
DB: my Lord it was an addition to what we already had.

After a brief silence, Mr Kabega shifts to issues concerning bullet holes in walls and direction of the shot.
MK: when you were in the master bedroom, you observed a bullet mark on the ceiling?
DB: yes I did, my Lord.
MK: Did you also observe bullet holes on the net?
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: The net was still hanging?
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: One hole was down and the other one was on the upper side. Correct?
DB: my Lord I observed holes but (as to which was higher or lower) the rest were examined by other…Mr Kabega cuts him off and says: “you were there, you must have seen!”
DB: My Lord, I saw holes but the upper and lower, those ones were done by other officers.
MK: But it’s possible both holes were low? From what you saw…
DB: My Lord, I saw some holes on the net.
MK: when you go to the scene as an investigating officer, do you note why you observe?
DB: I do note, my Lord
MK:did you note these holes and their location?
DB: My Lord, I noted that there were holes on the net

MK then circles back to the condominium purchase agreement which the state says is the motive of the alleged murder. He asks the IO: in your statement, you make no mention of that agreement.

DB admits that he doesn’t say it anywhere in his statement.

MK: now, at that scene, did you take fingerprints, blood swabs, ladders, bedsheets…

DB: my Lord, the role of collecting fingerprints was for the SOCO.
MK: I want to suggest to you officer that actually you’re the one who took them
DB: it’s not true, my Lord

MK asks him to read from the 4th sheet of his statement, 6 lines from the bottom
DB reads: “exhibits like blood swabs, fingerprints,mosquito net, ladders, mopping rags, bedsheet and clothes were collected and taken for analysis.
MK: these fingerprints you talk of are fingerprints of the deceased?”

DB: No, my Lord
MK: whose?
DB: my Lord these are fingerprints which were collected from suspects. Then we have latent marks…all those were collected by the SOCO.
MK: you did not collect any fingerprints from the deceased?
DB: No, my Lord
MK: you did not see any bullet mark on the floor?
DB: No
MK: No bullet marks on the wall other than the ceiling. Correct?
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: Kabega: “Now, from your observation, as an experienced homicide officer, how was the deceased shot?”

DB:from my observation, the deceased was shot on the head.
MK:How?
DB: Using a gun

MK: Yes (he turns around looking exasperated). He turns to DB: can you show court the position of the shooter?
DB: “My Lord, I cannot tell the position of the shooter….I’m telling you that the entry hole was above the ear to the left and the exit was to the right through the ear; meaning that the position of the shooter was on the left side of the deceased and was higher than the ear.

MK: So, the shooter fired downwards
DB: Yes, my Lord.
MK: If the shooting was downwards and the bullet passed through the head of the deceased, we’d find a mark somewhere down. Correct?
DB: My Lord according to experience, once the bullet passes through an object, it reduces the speed (he mutters some inaudible words)
MK: Yes…?
DB: “Because it passed through the skull, it exited from here, it could not make an impact on the floor”
MK:It could not?
DB: Actually, I did not recover that bullet, that’s why…(voice trails off)
MK: I did not talk about recovery….so, if it passed through the head, going downwards, it couldn’t create an impact on the floor?
DB: I didn’t see any impact on the floor.
MK then asks if he saw any impact on the bed, drawer…
DB: There was nothing.
MK:But you saw evidence on the ceiling
DB: I saw an impact on the ceiling. Yes, my Lord.
Mr Kabatsi tags on Mr Kabega’s gown and whispers something.
Mr Kabega turns to the witness and says: “so, from your story, after the bullet hit the deceased in a downward position, then it went to the ceiling?”
DB: I’ve not talked about that, my Lord.

Mr Kabega then shifts gears to domestic violence.
MK: Amanyire told you that he heard A1 (Mrs Katanga) crying; hhhmmm?
DB:My Lord, I’ve not talked about crying.

MK: Did he tell you so?
DB: He heard A1 call him.
Kabega insists: what about crying?
DB: He talked about a scuffle
Judge Kania, perhaps noticing some hesitation on the part of the state witness steps in: he talked about a scuffle; what about crying? Did he talk about crying? Did he hear the….A1 crying?

Detective Beteise finally relents and answers: Yes, my Lord

The Judge makes notes on her laptop. Jet Tumwebaze grabs a bottle of water.

Kabega ploughs right ahead: “he also told you, Amanyire, that when he went and found her in the bathroom, she was bleeding profusely.”
DB: yes, he did.
MK: He also told you that she was in critical condition
DB: yes, he did
MK: He also told you, Amanyire, she was dressed, taken to the vehicle and taken to hospital immediately…
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: Amanyire also told you that A1 called him and he first went where she was..
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: he found her naked
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: Officer, the clothings which were picked from the master bedroom and taken for analysis were those of A1
DB: All exhibits were picked by SOCO
Judge: pardon?
MK: But you were present!
MK: You interviewed Martha (Katanga)
DB: No, my Lord
MK:who interviewed her?
DB: At the scene, she talked to madam Bibiana but I don’t know the outcomes (of their interview)
MK: “Can we have exhibit 12, my Lord, as she (the Rutoro interpreter) interprets.” He sits down and looks ahead.
Judge says exhibit 12 remained in the exhibit store but that it’s a good time to break off and court would proceed after the lunch break with the exhibit brought.
MK: much obliged, my Lord.

Mr Kabega asks DB to confirm that none of the accused is charged under the Computer Misuse Act
DB: Yes, my Lord (None)

Editorial Note: the state confiscated mobile phones of the accused persons for digital forensics analysis. They say they relied on a court order gotten under the Computer Misuse Act

MK: it is your evidence that you accompanied the body of the deceased to the city mortuary.
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: these accused (persons), you left them at the home of the Katangas
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: That is Martha, Patricia, Otai and Amanyire. You left all the four in the Katanga house in Mbuya when you went to the city mortuary. Correct?
DB: It is correct, my Lord
MK: By the time you got to the city mortuary, Bibiana, you and the rest of the team had concluded that this was not suicide. Correct?
DB: Correct, my Lord

Mr Kabega asks for the mortuary request form and then asks DB: you filled this form, the request form for a post mortem at the city mortuary. Correct?
DB: it’s true,my Lord
MK reminds DB that by the time he went to the city mortuary, the view was that this was homicide. “Correct?”
DB: yes,my Lord

Mr Kabega looks at the PM request form then looks at the witness: “here, this is what you sad: it is alleged that the deceased shot himself after a domestic wrangle. Postmortem, the cause of death was gunshot injuries. Here (when he filled the PM request form), you’ve already been to the scene.”

He continues: “In your evidence, it’s not suicide but homicide. But here (in the form) you’re saying he shot himself.” Mr Kabega starts reading: “the deceased shot himself”….then says: “maybe you read so that Counsel…”..as he points to Mr Muwaganya.

His voice trails off as he hands the form to the police officer for onward transfer to the witness….

MK: nature of crime, what did you put down?
DB: “it is alleged that the deceased shot himself after a domestic wrangle. At postmortem, the cause of death was gunshot injuries.”
MK: you had already concluded it was homicide. Why do you now say it was suicide?
DB: My Lord, this was a matter which was still under investigation. The first allegation was he shot himself. It remains an allegation that he shot himself; though still under investigation.
MK: so when you conclude and say it was homicide…(inaudible words)…
DB: it was still under investigation, my Lord
MK: not yet concluded that it was homicide. Yes?
DB (sounding irritated and shooting daggers at Mr Kabega): it was not yet concluded; it was still under investigation.
MK: at that time, the postmortem had not been done. Was it? When you filled that form, the post mortem had not been done.
DB answers emphatically; “my Lord, it had been done!”

Some court voices: “iyiiiii!”

Mr Kabega to Judge Kania: yes! That’s what he has said, my Lord.

Mr Elison Karuhanga leans backwards, cranes his neck to take a proper look at the witness. He has a look of surprise. He then leans back into his book, left hand on head and writes some notes.

DB repeats his statement as if to remove any doubt: “it had been done, my Lord. When I filled this form (post mortem request form), post mortem had been done. That’s when I got these samples.”

Mr Kabega then shifts gears onto another hunt for Mr Katanga’s fingerprints

MK: Penyuthi (the mortuary SOCO) was with you in the mortuary
DB: I beg your pardon, my Lord
MK repeats the qstn
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: he was with you during postmortem
DB: Yes, my Lord
MK: He took fingerprints of the deceased. Correct?
DB: I’m not sure, my Lord
MK: You were there!
DB: I was there during PM
MK: Yes!
DB: I was there during PM but not at the time he took fingerprints
MK: were you there when he took swabs?
DB: yes, my Lord
MK: to your knowledge, did he lift fingerprints from the deceased?
DB: I’m not sure, my Lord ( PM report shows they were taken)

The post 🔴 Anthony Natif notes from Court: Cross Examination of PW24, Detective Sergeant David Beteise appeared first on 1:.