Two out of the nine youths accused of defaming renown city pastor Robert Kayanja have denied knowing each other claiming they were brought together by fate at Old Kampala police station.
The nine are jointly charged for a criminal conspiracy to false fabricate evidence of unnatural offences against pastor Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral.
After hearing evidence from 13 prosecution witnesses, the Court at Mwanga II ordered all the nine youths to defend themselves against the allegations that also include charges of giving false information to police.
On Monday, court presided over by Grade I Magistrate Adams Byarugaba has hear unworn testimonies from two accused persons; Jamil Mwanda, 35 and 54-year-old Aggrey Kanene .
The two have informed court that don’t have any connection with the rest of the seven co-accused accused whom they constantly referred to as young boys.
Mwanda, a businessman and vice chairperson of Kiganda Zone, in Kampala central stated that while in custody at Old Kampala Station on charges of theft in September 2021, a group of young boys was brought in on allegations of trespassing on the premises of Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral where they had where they had allegedly gone to meet pastor Kayanja without appointment.
That on narrating their story, he picked interest as a leader, pledged to help them get justice but the boys kept updating him on the progress of the case, only for him to be connected to the case.
However, prosecution’s case pins Mwanda on transporting the boys to different medical facilities at Mulago and Nsambya on assumptions that they had been sodomized but the medical reports from both hospitals found their sphincter muscles to be intact prompting some of the boys to retract their accusations.
For Kanene denied knowing any of the youths he referred to in his testimony as his children given their ages.
However, prosecution asserts that Kanene presented himself before old Kampala police station as a lawyer for the detained boys though he claims otherwise.
Also, during his emotional testimony, Pastor Kayanja stated that it he saw Kanene and Jamil Mwandha with the accused boys at a press conference at Kolping Hotel, where they alleged the false accusations against him.
The unsworn testimonies of the two accused persons prevented prosecution from asking them questions in cross examination.
The testimony of the two who informed court that they will not call any witnesses in their defense now brings the number of accused persons who have defended themselves to three leaving a balance of six, including Tumwine Moses who has since run away from the trial.
Further defense hearing is adjourned to tomorrow July 8, 2025.