By Aggrey Baba
Fresh questions have emerged in the case involving city pastor, Robert Kayanja and nine youths who accuse him of bum shafting them, after a police medical officer told court that some of the youths accusing the pastor were found to have physical injuries and scars around their anal areas.
Dr Bwambale Phinehas, who handled sexual-offence cases while attached to KMP North, made the disclosure on Monday while testifying before Mwanga II Chief Magistrate Adams Byarugaba in Mengo.
The doctor was appearing as a defense witness in the case in which Kayanja accuses the nine men of defamation, among other cases, following their reports of sexual abuse and sodomy against the pastor.
According to Dr Bwambale, his medical involvement came in 2021 after Inspector Nandutu, who was handling the investigations at regional level, directed him to examine some of the complainants.
Seven youths were examined during the investigations, with the medical examinations conducted at Nsambya Police Hospital and Masindi Prison, where some of the youths were inmates by then.
The doctor’s findings varied from one complainant to another. In the case of Peter Serugo, Dr Bwambale said the examination revealed injuries around the anus together with internal scars.
Serugo, whom the doctor examined on November 2, 2021 while in custody at Masindi Prison, had reportedly complained of pain around his lower abdomen and anus, especially after sitting for extended periods.
The police Doctor said the findings warranted further investigation and recommended an X-ray.
Court also heard about the examination of Alex Wakamala, whose anal region, according to Dr Bwambale, showed injuries.
Wakamala had reportedly complained of pain and told the doctor that he had been sexually abused on several occasions.
Dr Bwambale said Wakamala’s general physical and mental condition appeared normal, but the injuries around the anus prompted him to recommend further examination.
The doctor was careful, however, not to attribute the injuries to one definite cause, explaining that injuries of that nature may arise from different forms of trauma, including sexual penetration, infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
That qualification became an important part of the proceedings when State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya subjected the medical evidence to detailed cross-examination.
Muwaganya questioned the doctor on whether the physical findings could, on their own, establish that the youths had been sexually abused.
The prosecutor’s questions placed the medical evidence at the center of the courtroom contest, particularly the distinction between finding an injury and proving what caused it.
Dr Bwambale also testified about Peter Ssentongo, whom he examined at Masindi Prison.
Ssentongo reportedly told the doctor that he had been sexually abused twice by Kayanja before he was taken to Kiryandongo at Kayanja’s farm.
Other complainants examined included Kalifa Labibu, Moses Tumwine, Martin Kagoro and Simon Tumukunde.
The court was also told that some of the youths had made allegations concerning the alleged use of condoms and lubricants during the incidents they attributed to Kayanja.
The medical evidence therefore presents a mixed picture, with physical injuries reported in some cases while examinations of others did not produce similar findings. However, Dr Bwambale didn’t rule out the possibility of those whose anal areas were found intact being victims of sodomy, arguing that reasonable time had passed, between the time the victims claimed to have been sodomized and when the examination was conducted
The case will return to the Mwanga II Chief Magistrate’s Court on October 1, 2026, when further evidence is expected to be heard. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
