In the case before Mengo Magistrate’s Court, 30-year-old Alex Wakamala on Thursday accused city preacher Pastor Robert Kayanja of sexually harassing him during his time as a security aide at Rubaga Miracle Centre.
Wakamala is one of several youths (all males) in the trial, which includes charges such as conspiracy to defeat justice, criminal trespass at Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral, and giving false information to police.
Wakamala told court that he joined Rubaga Miracle Centre during the 77 Days of Glory, in 2016. Having left school due to sight problems, he said his mother encouraged him to seek divine intervention through prayer.
When he reached the church, he first volunteered as an usher before being recruited into the church’s security team, giving him close access to senior leaders and responsibilities such as K9 training and guarding the pastor during services.
According to Wakamala, his harassment began when Pastor Kayanja summoned him after a night service and asked for a massage while he was wearing only a boxer.
The pastor allegedly returned later with a towel and a small mattress, insisting on further physical contact and attempting to open his zipper, and further touching his genitalia.
He also told court that Kayanja went on to ask him for sex, but Wakamala refused, which changed the pastor’s attitude afterwards, sidelining him and labelling him as an enemy within the church.
He further claimed that the harassment continued through phone calls in which the pastor allegedly invited him for sexual encounters. One such call was overheard by Wakamala’s wife, creating tension at home. Despite the strain, the couple reconciled and now have two children.
Court heard that the experience left Wakamala emotionally and mentally affected. He said that while guarding the pastor during a service, he thought of using his firearm against him but restrained himself when he noticed the pastor observing him.
He went on and told court that despite refusing to be sodomized by the pastor at first, he later gave in because he needed monet to take care of his pregnant wife, and was sodomized by the man of God several times, since it was only through that, that he could get financial support from Kayanja whom he always addressed as ‘Omukulu’.
The young man also revealed how he was sodomized by Kayanja even on the very day his wife gave birth. He said he called the pastor asking for money, having worked for all the years without being paid, despite agreeing earlier on UGX 250,000 monthly salary.
However, he was summoned to the church when he called Kayanja, and he was again sodomized before receiving UGX 1 million from the pastor.
Wakamala’s testimony forms a key part of the ongoing case, in which several other youths face similar charges. His account illustrated how a relationship that began with trust and admiration for a spiritual leader deteriorated into fear, betrayal, and emotional trauma.
