KAMPALA,Uganda ~ Mwanga II Magistrate’s Court in Mengo, Kampala has on Thursday heard that digital communication between city pastor Robert Kayanja and one of the boys who claim he sodomized them, Reagan Ssentongo, included exchanges involving ponographic videos, financial demands and warnings over unmet promises.
The details emerged during testimony by police forensic expert Enoch Kanene, who presented findings from an analysis of Ssentongo’s phone before the Magistrate Adams Byarugaba.
Kanene told court that the communication, conducted via WhatsApp and SMS, spanned several months between October 2020 and July 2021, during which Ssentongo remained in frequent contact with the pastor. He added that the contact saved as “Mzee” in the phone was confirmed to be registered in Kayanja’s names.
According to the expert, the extracted messages point to ongoing disputes linked to financial expectations. In one exchange presented in court, Ssentongo reportedly informed Kayanja that a group of boys were planning to go to the church to protest over money they claimed had been promised (after Kayanja shafted their bums) but not delivered.
A response attributed to Kayanja, court heard, advised against going to the church due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and indicated that arrangements would be made to send money to those involved.
“Let no one come to church. I will send them 300k each.”
The court also heard that the communication later escalated, with Ssentongo allegedly warning that he would inform his family and release videos and audios he claimed to possess if he was not paid.
Kanene further presented a video clip recovered from the phone, which contained distressing imagery, of a boy holding tissue stained with blood and a toilet full of bloody water. Although the footage did not clearly show the sender, accompanying messages suggested it was shared to illustrate the condition of other youths referenced in the conversation who were reportedly in need of medical assistance having been sexually harrased by the same pastor.
Rhe expert clarified that his role was to extract and present the digital records as found on the device, following a request by the defence lawyers from Ojambo & Ojambo Advocates.
The testimony comes after earlier proceedings were halted due to disagreements over the handling of digital evidence, with court directing that such material first be authenticated by a forensic expert before being admitted.
