High Court in Lilongwe this afternoon resumed hearing the murder case of Agnes Katengeza, with the sixth state witness taking the stand after the matter was adjourned earlier in the day.
The witness, who worked as Katengeza’s house help, told the court that she started working at the deceased’s residence on 5 June 2023.
She testified that she came to know the first accused, Amos Katengeza, after Agnes instructed her to wait for him whenever she was away, saying she could not leave the house without one of her siblings being present.
Recounting events of 23 September, the witness told the court that Katengeza informed Amos that she would be using a white pickup truck that day.
After completing her household chores, the maid went to her quarters before receiving a call from Amos, who told her that Katengeza had asked her to buy Irish potatoes from the market. She said it was the first time Amos had sent her on an errand.
Upon returning from the market, she called Amos to inform him that she was back, but he did not answer. Moments later, she saw Amos emerging from behind the gate carrying a wrapper.
When she asked where he had been, Amos told her that he had been cleaning windows at the back of the house. By then, she had noticed that both Katengeza and her vehicle were no longer at the residence.
The witness further testified that she asked Amos to call Katengeza so she could receive instructions on how to prepare food, but the deceased did not answer her phone.
Later that day, another woman identified as Egnat arrived at the house and asked when Katengeza had left and why her phone was unreachable despite having a power bank.
The witness said Egnat also mentioned that she had met Amos before arriving at the house and that he had already informed her that Katengeza’s phone was not going through.
The witness further told the court that when Egnat visited the house that day, she was driving a blue vehicle.
However, about a month later, she saw what she believed to be the same vehicle, although it had been repainted white.
According to the witness, Amos repeatedly called her throughout the day, asking whether “Madam Agnes” had returned home, adding that it was the first time he had shown such concern about Katengeza’s whereabouts.
She further testified that the following day, at around 4:00 p.m., Amos informed her that he had seen on social media that Katengeza had been killed.
During the proceedings, the witness identified several items belonging to the deceased that were presented in court as exhibits. These included a laptop, an iPad, an iPhone, a black bag and skincare products used in Katengeza’s business.
By Wanangwa Mvalo
