A testimony from a police surveillance officer in the ongoing murder trial of businesswoman Molly Katanga has come under scrutiny after defense lawyers exposed gaps and uncertainties in his report.
The prosecution’s 17th witness, Assistant Inspector Emmanuel Odongo, from the Police Directorate of ICT, told the court that he retrieved video evidence from the CCTV system at the Katanga home. However, he disclosed that the cameras stopped recording shortly before 8:00 a.m. on the morning of November 2nd, restarting only minutes later.
This lapse means critical moments such as Molly Katanga’s alleged departure for the hospital were not captured. Though public traffic cameras later recorded a car traveling toward IHK hospital, Odongo was unable to conclusively identify her in the footage.
During cross-examination, the defense highlighted multiple weaknesses in his testimony. Odongo admitted he found no evidence that the cameras were intentionally disabled and could not confirm whether an electricity outage caused the recording gap. He also failed to explain references in his report about activity on the stairs, conceding that the staircase may not have been in view.
Odongo mentioned “activity along the staircase” at the Katanga home. However, when questioned by the defense to clarify where this detail originated—particularly whether the staircase could actually be seen in the CCTV footage he cited—he failed to offer a definitive explanation. This has cast uncertainty on the precision and dependability of his testimony.
The death of Henry Katanga from a gunshot wound at his home on Chwa II Road , has led to the arrest of his widow, their daughters, a domestic worker, and a nurse. As the trial unfolds, inconsistencies in expert testimony may play a key role in determining the outcome.