By KT Reporter
Nine youths who are accused of falsely accusing renowned born-again pastor Robert Kayanja have started defending themselves.
The nine are Peter Serugo, Reagan Ssentongo, Khalifa Labeeb, Alex Wakamala, Martins Kagolo, Israel Wasswa, Jamil Mwanda, and Aggrey Kinene.
In November 2024, the court found the accused had a case to answer and ordered them to defend themselves against charges of trespass at Rubaga Miracle Cathedral and giving false information to police.
The first to take the stand was Martin Kagolo, who gave unsworn testimony where the prosecution had no chance to ask him any questions in cross-examination.
An emotional Kagoro wept in court as he narrated how he was enticed with money, gifts, a chauffeur-driven vehicle and promises of moving abroad before claiming he was repeatedly violated ( sodomised ) by pastor Kayanja and his aide, Moses Makyati.
However medical records that were tendered previously in court revealed that Kagoro and his co accused had not had anal sex. Records before the Court indicate that the accused persons did not record issues of sodomy in their statements before Old Kampala Police.
In a session where journalists are not allowed to film proceedings, Kagoro testified before Grade One magistrate Adams Byarugaba that he came from his parents’ home to register in a football tournament organised then at pastor Kayanja’s Church. It’s from there that the renowned pastor grew fond of him, took him for military training and later enlisted him in his security detail.
Kagoro recounted that he and other youths had gone to collect their accumulated salaries from Rubaga Miracle centre where they had been working for along time without pay. That its from there that Pastor Kayanja called police alleging they had tresspassed at his church .
Earlier, the Court had ordered for the arrest of three individuals who stood as sureties to Tumwine, who has since gone missing.
Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya, who is the lead Prosecutor in this case, told the Court that the three sureties, Tracy Namugga, Patrick Ayebare and Abdul Kayondo, have breached their duty to the court to bring Tumwine back to stand trial.
The court also extended the arrest warrant to Tumwine whom police has failed to trace from all his known places of residence , hang -outs and alleged workplaces.
The Principal Grade one Magistrate Adams Byarugaba ordered that the trial should proceed in the absence of Tumwine and directed that his co-suspects start defending themselves against. He adjourned to May 9th for further defence hearing.
In his testimony in October 2024, Pastor Kayanja told Byarugaba that the nine individuals falsely accused him of sodomy. He alleged a conspiracy to frame him, linking one of the accused, Israel Wasswa, to Pastor Ssenyonga, a longtime rival.
Pastor Kayanja expressed frustration over the repeated false accusations against him, citing previous cases in 2010 and 2013 where he was falsely accused of sodomy. He noted that in the 2010 case, five pastors – Solomon Male, Michael Kyazze, Martin Sempa, Mukalazi, and Deborah Kyomuhendo – were found guilty of falsely accusing him but were only sentenced to 100 hours of community service by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court .
Pastor Kayanja also referenced the 2013 case where two individuals, Moses Muhanguzi and Ibrahim Nsubuga, falsely accused him of sodomy. He stated that they were handed non-deterrent sentences for attempting to bribe a doctor to conclude that they had been sodomized.
The pastor declared, “Enough is enough,” and requested a deterrent sentence for his accusers, believing that a stronger punishment would deter future blackmail against other would-be accusers.
The Prosecution alleges that the accused persons and others still at large on or about September 17th 2021, in Kampala District conspired together to falsely accuse Pastor Kayanja of unnatural offences.
They are further accused of conspiracy to defeat Justice, commit a felony, criminal trespass and giving false information to police.
It is alleged that Serugo, Ssentongo , Khalifa , Wakamala and Kagoro while employed in Public Service as Police officers gave false information to police detective IP Cotilda Nandutu saying that Pastor Kayanja had performed unnatural offenses with them.
The Prosecutors say they did this intentionally knowing that they would cause the said Nandutu and police to devote time and services to investigate information they knew was false-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
