Prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya was left embarrassed in the packed Mwanga II Chief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday after an audio recording, he claimed featured one of the accused youths, Reagan Ssentongo, and city pastor Jackson Ssenyonga failed to withstand a direct challenge from the witness.
The dramatic moment unfolded during the continued cross-examination of Ssentongo, one of the nine youths facing charges of defamation, criminal trespass and conspiracy following a dispute with Pastor Robert Kayanja.
Muwaganya played a recording which he claimed captured a conversation between Ssentongo and Pastor Jackson Ssenyonga, a cleric the prosecution has repeatedly alleged is behind the youths accusing Kayanja of repeatedly sodomizing them.
But as soon as the recording ended, Ssentongo rejected it and challenged the prosecutor to prove that the voice was indeed his.
“I can’t even understand anything in the recording. It’s not clear at all. Paly it again and when it reaches what you claim is my voice, pause it and tell me, this is you,” Ssentongo challenged the prosecutor.
The courtroom fell silent as spectators waited for the Muwaganya to identify the alleged voice.
However, instead of replaying the recording and pointing out Ssentongo’s voice as challenged, he abruptly abandoned the audio and told court, “Okay, let’s go to something else,” before moving on to another exhibit.
The exchange drew noticeable attention inside court, with many observers interpreting the prosecutor’s decision to abandon the audio as an inability to substantiate his claim that the recording featured the accused youth.
The hearing attracted a packed public gallery, including alleged members of Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral, journalists and several bloggers, including Frank Ntambi, said to be sympathetic to Pastor Kayanja.
Another tense moment came when Muwaganya put a question to Ssentongo, prompting the accused youth to respond, “You’re asking me that for your bloggers to spread narratives,” an utterance which sparked murmurs among those attending the proceedings.
After abandoning the disputed audio, Muwaganya presented a video recorded shortly after Ssentongo joined Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral in 2016. In the footage, Ssentongo was seen telling the congregation that he had previously lived on the streets before finding a new life through Pastor Kayanja’s ministry.
The prosecution relied on the video to argue that Ssentongo had changed his story and was lying before court.
However, Ssentongo rejected that claim, insisting that the testimony captured in the video had been rehearsed in advance, further telling court that Pastor Kayanja and a church administrator he identified as “Papa Ivan” coached him and the other boys to present themselves as former street children so the church could get financial support from foreign donors.
Ssentongo claimed that he and the other youths were prepared on what to say before appearing on the church platform during the “77 Days of Glory” programme, where they allegedly narrated the same story to the congregation, as well as viewers watching through television and on social media.
Pointing at Papa Ivan, who was present in court, Ssentongo maintained that he had joined the church after being promised that sponsors would help him further his education.
In the same recording, Pastor Kayanja is heard announcing that one of his spiritual sons living abroad had committed to sending a certain sum of money every month to support the boys.
Ssentongo maintained that the presentation before the congregation was designed to solicit donations rather than tell the truth about his background, insisting that he had been living with his mother in Ndeeba before joining the church.
Ssentongo maintains that the allegations they have made against Pastor Kayanja are based on their own experiences while under his care, while the prosecution continues attempting to challenge the credibility of their testimony.
Chief Magistrate Adams Byarugaba adjourned the case to Tuesday, July 29, when the hearing will continue.
