The Magistrate’s Court at Mwanga II has issued a final warning to six of the nine youths on trial for allegedly defaming city pastor Robert Kayanja, instructing them to present their defence without any further delay.
The accused are Regan Ssentongo, Peter Serugo, Khalifa Labeeb, Israel Waiswa, Alex Wakamala, Martins Kagolo, and Moses Tumwine, who is currently on the run. They are jointly charged with Jamil Mwandha and Aggrey Kanene, who presented their defence in court on Monday.
The group is facing charges of giving false information to the police and criminal trespass at Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral, where they claimed to have been sexually assaulted.
On Tuesday, the court session was expected to proceed with the defence. However, the hearing stalled before Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Adams Byarugaba after one of the defence lawyers wrote to the court requesting an adjournment due to illness. This led to a heated exchange between the prosecution and the defence.
Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya strongly opposed the request, accusing defence lawyers Humphrey Tumwesigye, Robert Ojambo, and Bernard Mugenyi of taking turns in representation and deliberately missing court sessions to delay the proceedings.
“With due respect, we are opposed to the adjournment, which in our opinion is not being sought in good faith or on justifiable grounds,” Muwaganya said.
He further explained that Counsel Humphrey had, for most of the trial, represented three of the suspects alone, while Ojambo and Mugenyi only formally joined the case as counsel for two others on April 25, 2025.
“The prosecution’s understanding is that since we have two law firms and three lawyers representing the accused, the absence of one should not hinder the progress of the case,” Muwaganya told the court.
The trial, which began in July 2023, has been marred by repeated delays and adjournments, with some of the accused still on remand. In response, Magistrate Byarugaba issued a strong warning, instructing the accused to secure legal representation that can fully commit to the proceedings or prepare to represent themselves at the next hearing scheduled for July 18, 2025.
“I understand the frustrations from the prosecution. Since December 20, 2024, the defence has been causing delays in this case. We have now spent two years in court since July 26, 2023. If this court is to continue with this trial, it must be treated with seriousness. Otherwise, the court will take radical measures,” the magistrate said.
He added that this would be the last adjournment granted due to illness of counsel, absence of the accused, or any other similar reasons.
The magistrate also noted that the accused have refused to testify under oath, which means the prosecution cannot cross-examine them on their claims of sexual abuse by Pastor Kayanja.
The prosecution alleges that the accused and others still at large conspired around September 17, 2021, to falsely accuse Pastor Kayanja of committing unnatural offences. They are also charged with conspiracy to defeat justice, criminal trespass, and giving false information to the police.
It is alleged that Serugo, Ssentongo, Khalifa, Wakamala, and Kagoro, who were serving as police officers at the time, provided false information to Detective Inspector Cotilda Nandutu, claiming that Pastor Kayanja had sexually assaulted them.
The prosecution says they knowingly made these claims to mislead police investigations and waste resources. Medical reports submitted to court found no evidence to support the allegations of sexual abuse.
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