By Aggrey Baba
The trial involving nine (9) youths accused in the long-running defamation and related case against Kampala pastor Robert Kayanja took another turn on Thursday, November 6, when the eighth witness, a 20-year-old inmate named Ssentongo Regan, testified before the Mwanga II Magistrate’s Court in Mengo.
The case, which has dragged on for years, was presided over by Chief Magistrate Adams Byarugaba and adjourned until tomorrow, for a ruling on preliminary objections and further cross-examination by the State.
Appearing in the dock dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a blue jean jacket, Ssentongo, who is currently detained at Mackson Bay Prison in Luzira, gave his testimony under oath, narrating how his first encounter with the pastor allegedly happened when he was only 13 years old, in 2017, during his first-term holiday as a Primary Six pupil at Kyagwe Road Primary School, in Kampala.
He told court that he had been staying with his mother in Ndeeba when a woman moving through the community with a megaphone approached the children, asking why they were not at school.
According to him, the woman said she worked with Pastor Kayanja and that they were taking children to receive bursaries through the church’s outreach program. Ssentongo said he, together with other children, accepted to go with her, adding that he and other boys were first introduced to a man identified as Papa Ivan, who later ushered them in to meet Pastor Kayanja himself.
He said they were divided into groups and told (by Pastor Kayanja) to testify on the pulpit the following day, during the church’s 77 Days of Glory (DOGs) program, claiming to be former street children as a condition for receiving the bursary.
“I accepted because I wanted to study,” Ssentongo said, adding that he was even given UGX 50,000 to buy new clothes and groom himself before appearing before the congregation.
The witness told court that after the testimony, he and several other boys were instructed to stay near the church for further guidance. He claimed that they were later promised ushering work and daily facilitation of UGX 5,000 for transport.
However, he said that as time passed, the promised bursary never came, and he later confronted the pastor, who assured him that arrangements were being made. Ssentongo told court that one day, as they reminded Kayanja of the promises he had made to them, he said the pastor informed them that he had received a team from State House, directing him to take the former street children for military training at Kabalye Police Training School.
The witness said that under the pretext of “training,” he and two other boys, identified as Ssebale Adrian and Mukwaya, were taken to Kabalye Police Training School in Masindi District, where they allegedly spent six (6) months before being redeployed to serve in duties linked to the church. Upon completion, he said they were assigned to work as security guards at a canteen, which he described as “Jajja’s place,” at the Rubaga Miracle Centre church premises.
Court also saw photos which the witness claimed showed him and others wearing police uniforms and holding pistols, though the prosecution later challenged the authenticity of the pictures.
The witness further told court that tensions later arose when he and his colleagues began questioning the pastor’s promises regarding better accommodation and inclusion in his official security detail. It was at this point, he said, that the relationship between them and the church leadership took a disturbing turn.
In a restrained but emotional tone, Ssentongo alleged that he was later summoned to the pastor’s office by one of the aides, where he claimed to have been mistreated under intimidation and fear. He said he was given money afterwards and warned not to speak about what had happened.
The following day, the witness said, he was again called for what was described as a security meeting, but instead, he and other boys were allegedly subjected to further humiliation, with the pastor, together with another church servant identified as Ssebulime Hassan, sodomizing them, which he described as deeply painful and degrading.
He told court that at one point, a firearm was displayed to instill fear, and that he eventually complied out of terror and confusion, despite earlier refusing to be sodomized by Kayanja and Hassan.
He narrated to court how Kayanja allegedly forced the first boy to smear his rear end with lubricants after switching off the lights and forcing them to bathe and thoroughly clean their bodies. He told court that when they finished bathing, they found the office almost turned into a bedroom, with two mattresses laid on the floor, covered with white bedsheets.
The boy alleged that after the first victim smeared the lubricant, the pastor showed them a video of a man sodomizing another man and told them they were going to do it exactly like that. The video, Ssentongo said, was played on an Apple laptop.
He said the pastor later ordered his colleague to kneel on one of the mattresses, bent him over, wore a condom, and started sodomizing him. The boy, the witness said, screamed for mercy, but the pastor never listened.
He then told Hassan to start sodomizing the remaining two (including Ssentongo), but Ssentongo refused. Then, he said, Kayanja, after sodomizing his colleague, pulled out a pistol and pointed it at him, threatening to shoot if he continued to resist.
At this point, the witness, then only 14 years old, said he had no choice but to submit. “Out of fear, I cried and begged for forgiveness,” Ssentongo said, adding that afterwards, he and the other two were taken for medical attention by Hassan, who allegedly transported them to a private clinic in Rubaga for treatment the following day after they complained of intense pain.
The witness continued that they were later advised to rest until they healed, after which they were told they would be enrolled in school. He said that indeed, a few weeks later, they were sent to Nakasero Secondary School, where they studied for about two terms, having sat for their Primary Leaving Examinations at a church school whose name he did not disclose.
However, according to Ssentongo, his education was again cut short when the pastor reportedly asked him to relocate to a farm in Kiryandongo District, called GMF Farm, where he was allegedly appointed to oversee certain activities and given authority over the rest of the workers, at just 14 years of age.
He told court that he was given a room equipped with an office and rifles, which he said were used for security around the farm. He also presented what he claimed was a photo of him at the farm holding some of the firearms, though the State objected, saying it was not clear whether the photo was authentic or not.
Throughout the testimony, court remained silent, with the presiding magistrate occasionally asking for clarification. The prosecution objected to parts of the statement, saying they were irrelevant to the current charges, which primarily center on defamation, trespass, and false accusation against the pastor.
Chief Magistrate Byarugaba ruled that the matter be adjourned to tomorrow, Friday, November 7, to allow the court to deliver a ruling on preliminary objections and for the State Attorney to cross-examine the witness.
The case continues tomorrow, with more testimonies expected from both the defense and the prosecution. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
