Mwanga II Magistrates Court on May 5, issued an order to Moses Tumwine, one of nine individuals accused of trespassing at Rubaga Miracle Centre and falsely accusing Pastor Robert Kayanja of sodomy.
Tumwine, who is currently out on bail, failed to appear in court despite several reminders, prompting Magistrate Adams Byarugaba to order his arrest and warn that proceedings would continue in his absence.
But that development was quickly overshadowed by the emotional testimony of 24-year-old Martin Kagolo, who took the stand and gave an account of alleged sexual abuse (sodomy) at the hands of the high-profile man of God.
Kagolo broke down as he narrated how his life changed after joining Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral as a volunteer in 2016. He was just 16 when he joined the ushering team and later moved into the church’s security unit.
“I started in the ushering team, then later joined security. I was trusted with firearms to guard the pastor’s office and vehicles,” he said.
Kagolo told court that his loyalty earned him special treatment. While other volunteers received UGX 7,000 daily, he claimed to be given an extra UGX 100,000 every Sunday, making him feel valued and trusted.
However, what started as a journey of faith and admiration allegedly turned into one of confusion and abuse sexual abuse.
Kagolo described one night, around, when he was called to the church by a fellow church member, Moses Makyati, in the wee hours. He arrived to find Makyati, Pastor Kayanja, and Hassan Ssebulime in the pastor’s office.
He said the two men eventually stepped out, leaving him alone with the pastor, with Makyati returning later.
“He got up, started touching me, then touched my private parts,” Kagolo told court.
He went on to allege that the pastor briefly left the room and returned wearing blue shorts, after which both Kayanja and Makyati sodomized him, on a 4-by-6 Mattress which the pastors had in his office.
“I couldn’t even go back home that night. I slept on the sofa in the his office’s waiting area,” Kagolo said.
The next morning, he claimed, he received an envelope of cash from Makyati and another from a man named Mayambala, who was driving a black Toyota Prado with registration number UAB 007A. Kagolo said he was later driven back to a house in Bunamwaya, rented by the church for him and other young men.
Later that day, he alleged that Pastor Kayanja called and made a series of enticing promises.
“He said the same car that dropped me could be mine. He also promised to take me abroad,” Kagolo stated.
But according to him, none of the promises came true, and when he started demanding what he believed he was owed, he was thrown in jail. He is now out on bail.
Kagolo also revealed that the abuse wasn’t a one-off incident. He said it happened on two more occasions and that eventually, he and other boys were evicted from the Bunamwaya house they had been living in.
When they attempted to confront the pastor about the promises made to them, they were allegedly arrested by Special Forces Command (SFC) personnel and detained at Old Kampala Police Station. Kagolo said his parents intervened to secure him a police bond.
“In 2024, I was picked up from my shop by police and brought here not as a witness, but as the accused,” he added.
Kagolo and eight others, Peter Serugo, Reagan Ssentongo, Khalifah Labeeb, Alex Wakamala, Israel Wasswa, Jamil Mwanda, and the absent Moses Tumwine, are accused of storming Rubaga Miracle Centre on September 17, 2021, and causing public disturbance while shouting allegations of sodomy.
Lead prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya told court that Tumwine had refused to respond to calls, including those from his lawyer and co-accused.
Prosecution insists that medical reports later failed to back the group’s claims, and three of the accused remain in custody while the rest are out on bail.
