Prominent Kampala-based pastor, Robert Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Center Cathedral, on Monday testified at the Mwanga II court against a group of nine former “Kiface” gang members accused of trespassing on his church and falsely accusing him of sodomizing them.
In his testimony, Pastor Kayanja stated that he met the gang during his 2017 revival event, “77 DOGs,” when they sought to turn their lives around. The church welcomed them and even helped them identify problematic individuals.
After a period, the group expressed interest in joining the church’s security team. They were subsequently recruited and trained at Kabalye training school. Upon graduation, Kayanja deployed them to the church and his Kiryandongo farm on a rotational basis.
Kayanja explained to the court that the deployment included accommodations and an allowance. The remaining portion of their salaries was to be saved for them until they reached adulthood and could manage their finances independently.
However, Kayanja began receiving reports of theft, assault, robbery, and the abandonment of the farm by the suspects. They claimed to be tired of working and demanded immediate payment of their full salaries.
Kayanja sent the suspects to the finance department, where a figure representing each individual’s owed amount was calculated and agreed upon to be paid in installments.
To his astonishment, on September 17, 2021, during a lockdown, the suspects allegedly breached security, assaulted people at the church gate, entered the premises, and began shouting obscenities while recording themselves. He says they falsely accused Kayanja and others of sodomizing them and demanded payment for this alleged act.
Kayanja stated that the videos were intended to go viral and caused him significant shock, hurt, and annoyance. As a pastor of 30 years, he was appalled by the malicious accusations, especially considering previous false accusations of sodomy against him.
Kayanja categorically denied being gay, citing a similar incident in 2010 when fellow pastors Solomon Male, Michael Kyazze, Martin Ssempa, and two others were convicted by Buganda Road court and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
The hearing was still ongoing at the time of this report.
