Katengeza murder trial: more witnesses to testify as court hears of sale of victim’s phone and laptop

The trial of two men accused of murdering Agnes Katengeza is set to resume on Wednesday, with further state witnesses expected to give evidence as prosecutors continue building their case.

Dzikondianthu Malunda, Director of Criminal Litigation in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, said 16 state witnesses in total are expected to testify over the course of the trial, with between two and four due to appear on Wednesday, depending on logistical arrangements.

Three witnesses gave evidence on Tuesday, describing their roles in transferring items belonging to Katengeza from Lilongwe to Blantyre, and their subsequent sale, including a phone and a laptop.

Among them was Joseph Saiti, a phone repair technician based in Blantyre, who told the court he had been asked to install new software on some of the devices before they were sold on.

Katengeza was murdered in 2023. Two of her relatives, Egnat and Amos Katengeza, are facing criminal charges in connection with her death.

Earlier in proceedings, the court heard from Francis Wilima, 23, the trial’s first witness, who said he had been asked to send a laptop, perfume, body lotion and an iPad to Blantyre by Amos Katengeza, the first accused, whom he said he had known for some time.

Wilima told the court that on 24 September 2023, Amos gave him the items, saying they had come from South Africa, and asked him to forward them to an address in Blantyre.

Wilima said he sent the parcel to a woman identified as Ireen Chama.

He also told the court that in the weeks that followed, he saw a number of WhatsApp status updates posted by Amos relating to Katengeza’s disappearance, and later her death.

He gave no further detail on the content of the updates during his evidence-in-chief, though the matter is expected to be raised again under cross-examination.

Wilima said he encountered Amos again after his arrest, and was then called in by police to give a statement setting out his role in sending the parcel to Blantyre.

He told the court he had cooperated fully with investigators throughout.

The trial continues on Wednesday.