Katanga murder: Widow re-applies for bail
Ms Molly Katanga, the woman accused of killing Henry Katanga, appears at Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court where she was charged with the murder of her husband in February 2024. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The 55-year-old is currently in Luzira and claims that she is suffering from severe illnesses that cannot be adequately treated by the medical personnel at the prison.
Molly Katanga, the widow of businessman Henry Katanga has filed a second bail application before the High Court seeking temporary release to go for better medical attention.
The 55-year-old widow through her lawyers, the Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA) presented a medical report from Luzira prison confirming grave illness beyond the prison service's capacity to manage.
According to the report dated April 15, 2024, Molly Katanga suffers from nasal sinusitis and vertigo- a sensational motion or spinning that is often described as dizziness, breast masses and hypertension.
The doctors said Molly Katanga requires a follow-up with a specialist ENT surgeon and monitoring, which services are reportedly inaccessible in Luzira prisons.
The report states that she has not received Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and no follow up services by an ENT surgeon to address her paranasal sinustitis and vertigo as recommended in the treatment plan from Mulago National Referral Hospital in the medical report dated February 8, 2024.
The prisons’ medical authorities also conceded that the assessment and monitoring of the progress of the multiple breast masses was beyond the capacity of the prison’s health services.
“In light of the above analysis, it is clear that the applicant suffers from conditions that cannot be managed in prison. This alone should entitle the applicant to be granted bail. The consequences for failure to grant bail in such conditions were stated in the case of David Chandi Jamwa vs Uganda (Supreme Court Misc. Application number 09 of 2018), Justice Arach- Amoko, held that: In the premises, I take judicial notice of the fact that the applicant stands a high risk of suffering cardiac arrest while in prison and may end up dying before having his day in Court thus rendering the appeal nugatory,” Molly Katanga’s lawyers opined in the filed application.
“In the premises, we submit that the applicant suffers grave illness which amounts to an exceptional circumstance for the grant of bail by this Honourable Court. We thus pray that the applicant be granted bail on the ground that she is gravely ill,” they added.
However, the DPP has not yet responded to Katanga's bail application but presiding judge Isaac Muwata said he will give his ruling on May 21.
