Howard Kerry Mwesigwa
The rape trial of Katumba Enock and two others has reached its final stages before Justice Michael Elubu at the High Court in Kampala. The state presented its final witness, Pw6 Nabwowe Jane, a government analyst from the forensic division at the government analytical labs in Wandegeya. Her expert testimony shed light on the crucial DNA analysis conducted in the case, which aimed to determine the identity of the perpetrators and establish the innocence or guilt of the accused.
Nabwowe Jane, an experienced government analyst, took the stand as the state’s final witness. With 12 years of experience, she specializes in DNA profiling and provides expert opinions based on her findings. Her examination focused on the exhibits submitted by Detective Nalule Mary on January 16, 2020, under the Katwe police station.
The exhibits comprised blood samples from the suspects and a recovered bedsheet suspected to contain semen. The primary objective was to ascertain whether any of the suspects’ DNA matched the biological material found on the bedsheet. Additionally, the DNA of the victim, Nanyonga Annet, was compared to determine if she was the donor of the biological sample.
Nabwowe Jane used the P30 test, which detects male-specific antigens in seminal fluid stains. The test confirmed the presence of semen on the bedsheet. Further analysis revealed a single male DNA profile extracted from the suspects’ samples. However, upon comparing these profiles with the DNA profile from the bedsheet, there was no match. This interpretation indicated that none of the suspects could be identified as the donor of the male DNA recovered from the bedsheet.
Furthermore, the analyst generated a single female DNA profile from the victim, Nanyonga Annet, and compared it to the male DNA profile found on the bedsheet. The results indicated that the DNA profiles were not applicable for a match. Therefore, the evidence did not support the proposition that the victim was the donor of the male DNA.
During cross-examination, defense counsel raised questions regarding the handling and preservation of the exhibits. Nabwowe Jane clarified that she only received the already collected samples and had no knowledge of their storage conditions prior to examination. However, she affirmed that proper preservation methods ensure sample quality and negate the risk of degradation.
The case has been adjourned to July 25, 2023, for written submissions, signaling the approaching conclusion of this trial.
