By The high-profile trial of nine youths accused of falsely alleging sodomy against renowned Kampala pastor Robert Kayanja was unexpectedly adjourned Friday after the presiding magistrate, Adams Byarugaba, reportedly fell ill, leaving court unable to proceed with scheduled defence testimony.
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The trial, already fraught with drama and intense media scrutiny, had been set to continue with testimony from the second accused, following a gripping session earlier in the week in which 24-year-old Martin Kagoro made an emotional unsworn statement. Kagoro accused Pastor Kayanja of exploiting him with promises of foreign travel, employment in church departments, and even police training at Kabalye.
“I was lured with promises of going abroad and getting jobs in church departments. At one point, I was even sent for police training in Kabalye. But after all that, I was turned into a victim,” Kagoro told court Monday.
Because his testimony was unsworn, it shielded him from cross-examination by prosecution, which had hoped to challenge his account. Prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya has leaned heavily on medical reports from Mulago National Referral Hospital that suggest no physical evidence to support the sodomy claims.
“All the accused underwent anal examinations, and the results showed their sphincters were intact,” said Mr. Muwaganya, adding, “This calls into question how any repeated acts of anal sex could have occurred without physical trauma.”
The group of accused, who first made their allegations in September 2021, face charges of criminal trespass and giving false information to police. The state claims they unlawfully entered Rubaga Miracle Cathedral and falsely accused Pastor Kayanja of sodomizing them, later filing the complaint at Kawempe Police Station.
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The accused were formally ordered to begin their defence in November last year, after court ruled there was sufficient evidence for them to answer the charges. Since then, the case has moved slowly, with occasional flare-ups in court over inconsistencies in witness testimonies.
Adding to the legal drama, arrest warrants remain in effect for Tracy Namugga, Patrick Ayebare, and Abdul Kayondo, who stood as sureties for Moses Tumwine, one of the accused who is currently on the run. Magistrate Byarugaba previously ruled that the trio had failed in their legal duty to ensure Tumwine’s appearance and must now be arrested.
Pastor Kayanja, who testified in his defence last year, denied all the allegations and linked the case to a broader pattern of what he called malicious plots to damage his reputation.
“This is not new. Similar false accusations were made in 2010 and 2013 and I defeated them in court then. I will do so again,” the pastor stated.
The trial has now been adjourned to May 23, with court officials hoping that Magistrate Byarugaba will have recovered and proceedings can resume.
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