The trial of nine individuals accused of falsely accusing renowned preacher Pastor Robert Kayanja of sodomy has been adjourned after the presiding Grade One Magistrate, Adams Byarugaba, was reported unwell and unable to preside over Friday’s scheduled session.
The case, which has gripped public attention due to its controversial nature and high-profile defendant, was expected to resume with testimony from a second accused.
This follows Monday’s proceedings where 24-year-old Martin Kagoro, one of the accused, offered an unsworn statement claiming Pastor Kayanja lured him into acts of sodomy with false promises of overseas travel and money.
The accused — Peter Serugo, Reagan Ssentongo, Khalifa Labeeb, Alex Wakamala, Martins Kagolo, Israel Wasswa, Jamil Mwanda, Aggrey Kinene, and Moses Tumwine (currently at large) — were in November ordered to defend themselves against charges of criminal trespass, conspiracy to commit a felony, and giving false information to police.
During Monday’s session, Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya challenged Kagoro’s account, citing medical evidence from Mulago National Referral Hospital.
The examination reports, which found the accused’s anal muscles intact, are central to the prosecution’s argument that repeated sodomy, as claimed, would have resulted in clear physical trauma.
The prosecution also criticized inconsistencies in the accused’s narrative, especially regarding his alleged long-term association with Rubaga Miracle Centre, participation in church activities, and police training in Kabalye — none of which were questioned in cross-examination due to procedural limits on unsworn testimony.
Meanwhile, the court has upheld arrest warrants for three sureties — Tracy Namugga, Patrick Ayebare, and Abdul Kayondo — who failed to produce co-accused Moses Tumwine, currently in hiding.
The magistrate extended Tumwine’s warrant until the next scheduled court sitting on May 23rd.
In earlier testimony, Pastor Kayanja denounced the allegations as a “well-coordinated smear campaign,” pointing fingers at his long-standing rival, Pastor Joseph Ssenyonga, whom he linked to one of the accused, Israel Wasswa.
The evangelist decried the recurrence of such accusations, recalling similar incidents in 2010 and 2013 that ended with light penalties for those found guilty of defamation and bribery.
In 2010, five pastors — Solomon Male, Michael Kyazze, Martin Sempa, Mukalazi, and Deborah Kyomuhendo — were convicted of falsely accusing Kayanja but received only 100 hours of community service.
In 2013, two other accusers, Moses Muhanguzi and Ibrahim Nsubuga, were found guilty of attempting to falsify medical evidence in a similar case but were handed what Kayanja described as “non-deterrent sentences.”
The current case alleges that, on or around September 17th, 2021, the accused conspired to fabricate claims of sexual abuse against the pastor, thereby misleading police and wasting public resources. The five accused officers — Serugo, Ssentongo, Khalifa, Wakamala, and Kagoro — are also charged with knowingly providing false information to police detective IP Cotilda Nandutu.
As the legal proceedings drag on, observers continue to raise questions about the politicization of religious rivalry, the abuse of legal processes, and the need for stronger deterrents against those who weaponize false accusations for personal or ideological gain.
The trial will resume on May 23, pending the magistrate’s recovery.
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