Adams Byaruhanga, the chief magistrate at the Nateete/Rubaga court, has sternly advised prosecution lawyers to refrain from implicating the lead pastor of Christian Life Church, Jackson Ssenyonga, in the ongoing case involving nine suspects. The accused are allegedly charged with conspiring to falsely accuse Pastor Robert Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Center of committing unnatural offenses and trespass.
Chief Magistrate Byaruhanga emphasized that it is inappropriate to continually associate Pastor Ssenyonga with the case, highlighting that he is not among the accused individuals.
During the court proceedings, the third prosecution witness, 20-year-old Adrian Ssebaale, refuted the allegations against Pastor Ssenyonga. Ssebaale dismissed claims that Ssenyonga had offered them money to fabricate a video against Pastor Kayanja in an attempt to tarnish his reputation. Instead, Ssebaale stated that they had approached Pastor Ssenyonga seeking help after purportedly experiencing unnatural offenses. He mentioned that Ssenyonga was initially unaware of their scheme, asking for proof. In an attempt to obtain money, Ssebaale confessed to fabricating a video by using chicken blood, but they were informed that Ssenyonga was unimpressed with their efforts.
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Ssebaale disclosed that he, together with Ssentogo, Serugo, Labeeb, Moses Tumwine, and Jonathan Nkoyoyo, initially planned the scheme, with others joining later.
The accused individuals include Peter Serugo, Reagan Ssentogo, Moses Semanobe, Khalifa Labeeb, Alex Wakamala, Martins Kagolo, Jamil Mwanda, Aggrey Kanene, and Israel Waswa.
In another development, the court granted bail of UGX 2 million to Wasswa and Mwanda, despite objections from the prosecution. The prosecution argued against granting bail to Waswa, citing his previous conviction for robbery. However, the magistrate overruled the objection, asserting that the accused are innocent until proven guilty in the ongoing case.
Furthermore, the magistrate cautioned the accused against interfering with state witnesses or discussing the case with the media, warning that such actions could lead to contempt of court.
The magistrate adjourned the case until November 10th and December 13, 2023, for further hearings.
