On September 12th, 2024, controversy erupted in the Henry Katanga murder trial as Uganda Police's Director of Forensic Services, Andrew Mubiru Kizimula, faced serious allegations.
Mubiru is accused of conducting DNA analysis without proper authorization, which, according to the defense, breaches Uganda Police’s standard operating procedures.
Defense attorneys, led by Elison Karuhanga, argue that the Uganda Police is only authorized to perform DNA tests for determining parentage, not for criminal trials.
They allege that Mubiru overstepped his authority, traditionally held by the government chemist for criminal cases, and suggest that his actions could have been manipulated to produce biased evidence in favor of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The lawyers highlighted discrepancies in the DNA report, which was cited in a court summary from February 2024 but was signed in April 2024.
They also accused Mubiru of a pattern of manipulating DNA reports, referencing a past case where he was found to have included an unauthorized sample.
The trial has been adjourned to September 26, 2024, for further hearings.
The accusations cast a shadow over the integrity of forensic evidence in the case.
