Kampala, Uganda: A key defence witness in the ongoing trial involving allegations that evidence was fabricated against Lubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral senior pastor Robert Kayanja came under intense cross-examination on Tuesday after prosecutors presented prison, National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and school records they said contradicted his testimony on his age, identity and family background.
Reagan Ssentongo, who is testifying as Defence Witness Number Eight before the Mwanga II Court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Adams Byarugaba, was questioned extensively by Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya over inconsistencies in his evidence.
The prosecution first tendered prison admission records from Kiryandongo, Masindi and Murchison Bay prisons, which it said showed Ssentongo was admitted as a 21-year-old adult in 2021, despite telling court in July 2026 that he is still 21 years old.
“Your Worship, the records before this court show that the witness was 21 years old in 2021, yet five years later he still claims to be 21. His age appears not to have changed,” Muwaganya submitted.
The State also produced a letter dated July 22, 2026, from Murchison Bay Prison, signed by Officer-in-Charge T. Katate, stating that prison authorities found no record showing that Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya had ever visited Ssentongo while he was incarcerated.
The document was presented after Ssentongo had earlier alleged that Muwaganya visited him in prison and attempted to persuade him and his co-accused to admit they had been paid to fabricate allegations that Pastor Kayanja engaged in unnatural offences.
“The prison records do not show that I visited the witness as alleged. The authorities have searched their records and found no such visit,” Muwaganya told court.
The prosecution further relied on prison records from Ssentongo’s first remand at Masindi Prison on September 23, 2021, and records from proceedings before the Kiryandongo Chief Magistrate’s Court on August 18, 2022, both of which reportedly listed his age as 21.
“You were 21 years old in 2021, you were still 21 in 2022, and today, in 2026, you are still telling this court that you are 21. How can that be?” Muwaganya asked.
The cross-examination then shifted to Ssentongo’s identity and parentage.
He told court that his biological father was Ssentongo Ahmed, claiming he had only met him once in a hotel and did not know his home in Sseeta.
However, the prosecution produced NIRA records obtained under a court order identifying Reagan Ssentongo as having been born on September 4, 2000, and listing his parents as Mutabazi Francis and Nalubowa Harriet.
While Ssentongo confirmed the personal details contained in the records, he disputed that Mutabazi Francis was his biological father.
He told court that his biological father had rejected him and that he was later introduced to another man, Ssentongo Ahmed, who allegedly changed his names.
The prosecution also questioned why Mutabazi Francis had been consistently listed as Ssentongo’s father and next of kin in prison records and why he regularly visited him while in custody.
The hearing also focused on allegations that Ssentongo attended a meeting convened by city pastor Jackson Ssenyonga, where participants were allegedly promised money, overseas travel and a meeting at State House in exchange for framing Pastor Kayanja.
The prosecution played an audio recording which it said captured the meeting.
Ssentongo denied attending the meeting and told court he could not identify any of the voices. “I do not recognise those voices,” he said.
He challenged the prosecution to produce stronger evidence. “Bring a video to show that I was part of that meeting.”
The State later played a video showing Ssentongo and other youths during a testimony session at Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral, where they described themselves as former street children who smoked marijuana.
Although Ssentongo admitted appearing in the recording, he told court he had not been truthful during that testimony. “I was coached to say that I came from the streets in order to get assistance to further my education.”
The matter remains before the Mwanga II Court as the prosecution continues its cross-examination of the witness.
Background
The case stems from criminal proceedings against Reagan Ssentongo and eight co-accused, who are charged with criminal trespass after allegedly entering Lubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral with the intention of annoying Pastor Robert Kayanja.
Earlier this month, Ssentongo came under cross-examination over similar inconsistencies relating to his age, alleged communication with several city pastors and claims arising from digital forensic reports. The court also declined a prosecution request to summon the head of the Government Analytical Laboratory, opting instead to evaluate the expert reports already on record before reaching its decision.
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