KAMPALA, Uganda — Grade One Magistrate Adams Byarugaba on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, adjourned proceedings in the ongoing sodomy-related case involving Miracle Centre church Pastor Robert Kayanja after a heated dispute over photos allegedly taken at his Kiryandongo farm brought court business to an abrupt pause.
The session at Mwanga II Magistrate’s Court in Mengo, Kampala had been scheduled for accused number eight (8), Reagan Ssentongo (20yrs), to conclude his defence. Instead, it turned into a prolonged legal exchange between the defence team and Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya over the admissibility of digital evidence.
Trouble began when Ssentongo revisited an earlier part of his testimony in which he claimed that the room he was allocated at kayanja’s farm where he had been taken and given the responsibility to be the head, after being withdrawn from school, contained Guns. On Tuesday, he told court that he had taken photos of himself holding some of the guns using his Samsung phone and was ready to show them as part of his defence.
His lawyers from Ojambo & Ojambo Advocates immediately instructed the technician operating the TV screen to begin displaying the images as the accused narrated their background.
However, before the pictures could be projected, Muwaganya objected. He argued that the defence was attempting to introduce digital evidence without following proper legal procedure.
According to the prosecution, the forensic expert who extracted the photos from Ssentongo’s phone must first appear in court to authenticate the material and confirm its integrity.
Muwaganya noted that without such verification, the photos could not be admitted or displayed.
He also faulted the defence for directing the gadget operator, insisting that the technician takes instructions from the magistrate, not from counsel.
The defence pushed back, accusing the prosecution of deliberately frustrating their client’s right to present his full case, arguing that the objection was aimed at preventing court from seeing evidence they believe could raise serious questions about the circumstances under which Ssentongo claims to have lived, leading to him being sodomized by the man of God.
In his ruling, Byarugaba halted the display of the photos and adjourned the matter to March 13, 2026. He directed that the forensic expert who extracted the images be present in court on that date to formally introduce and verify the photos before any further step is taken.
He also cautioned against further delays, noting that the case has been in the system for years and requires efficient handling going forward.
The aborted attempt to display the gun photos adds another layer of controversy to a trial that has remained under public scrutiny since 2021, when nine young men accused the prominent pastor of sodomy, allegations he has consistently denied.
