Joyce Namugambe
The Senior Pastor and Founder of Christian Life church in Makerere Kavule Bombo road Pastor Jackson Senyonga has on Friday November 24th 2023 dismissed media reports alleging him to have pinning his fellow Pastor Robert Kayanja of Robert Kayanja Ministries and Lubaga Miracle Centre Church that is involved in homosexuality acts.
During a press conference in Kavule, Pastor Jackson Ssenyonga said that the allegations that have been circulating that he promised young men 76 million shillings to witness that Pastor Robert Kayanja sodomized them is not true but only intended to create a gap between him and Pastor Kayanja.
Pastor Ssenyonga expressed concern that the boys’ file at police was closed and now the DPP and court are only proceeding with Pastor Kayanja’s file which is unfair to the boys since both sides need to be heard for justice to prevail.
Pastor Ssenyonga added that he is not pinning Pastor Kayanja neither saying that he is a homosexual but he just wanted him to come out and give the boys a benefit of doubt after the boys gave details that they were recruited and given money then got Sodomised. He therefore asked the DPP to consider the closed file for the young boys since they also need justice.
However, Pastor Senyonga noted that however much there are boys who would like to take advantage of the situation to make money, it is also important for the DPP to look into the fact that these boys are insisting that they were sodomised and deserve justice.
In a document seen by this website, Pastor Senyonga alluded that sometime in 2021-2022 a number of boys/young men approached him at Christian Life Ministries claiming that they had been sodomized by Pastor Robert Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Centre. Pastor Senyonga believes that the boys/young men came to him because is a Christian Leader who has for several years been outspoken about various ills taking place in some Pentecostal churches in Uganda.
The said boys/young men gave graphic details of what they say transpired, of how they were recruited, lured with money and promises of a better life and subsequently sodomized, they showed him WhatsApp communication between one of them with Pastor Robert Kayanja whose mobile number Pastor Senyonga asserted that he knew.
“In the said WhatsApp messages the boys/young men alleged that Pastor Kayanja had sodomized them, that they were injured as a result and required treatment and demanded money from them. Pastor Kayanja never denied or contested those allegations and instead sent money as demanded. They also played a phone voice recording of a voice they claimed to be of Pastor Robert Kayanja,” he said.
He added; “The above, and more especially the WhatsApp communication messages and the reaction of Pastor Kayanja thereto was very disturbing and raised serious questions and concern in my mind as they appeared to lend credence to what the boys/young men were alleging. This is against the backdrop of the fact that for over 20 years now there have been persistent similar allegations from different persons against Pastor Kayanja. Despite the above, I still did not believe what I was hearing and seeing and wanted to give Pastor Kayanja the benefit of the doubt. I accordingly engaged a few civic and spiritual leaders with close contact with him and requested a meeting involving him, me and the said leaders but he avoided such a meeting.”
Pastor Senyonga went and noted that although his fellow leader refused to meet them, he did not give the information to the media, hold any press conference or talk show or go public or to the police with a criminal complaint because he did not believe that was the best way of resolving this issue.
Although Pastor Kayanja refused and or failed the attend a meeting. On the 5th of October 2021, Pastor Senyonga went ahead and sent him a letter which he also sent to him via WhatsApp on his phone indicating that he did not believe the boys and implored him on the need to meet, discuss and resolve this issue internally by a few leaders in the body of Christ. However, the letter ripped nothing.
“I was, however, shocked to learn that instead of meeting me as a brother who had in good faith contacted him privately, he had initiated a criminal complaint against me alleging that I had conspired with some boys/young men to tarnish his image and or defame him. The said complaint was investigated by the Directorate of Public Prosecution which concluded that interactions with the boys/young men who were alleging that they had been sodomized by Pastor Kayanja were in good faith as any elder or shepherd in society or church would, while listening to a child or to sheep with grievances. The DPP’s office concluded that the complaint by Pastor Kayanja against had no merit and accordingly closed the complaint file,” he said.
According to Pastor Senyonga, he established that when the boys/young men went to Pastor Kayanja’s church at Miracle Centre Cathedral alleging that they had been sodomized by Pastor Kayanja they were subsequently arrested for criminal trespass. He also established that the boys lodged a complaint against Pastor Kayanja insisting that he sodomized them.
To Pastor Senyonga’s surprise, when the boys were arrested the Director of Public Prosecution opened a file to prosecute the boys/young men for allegedly tarnishing Pastor Kayanja’s name and for criminal trespass but has decided to close the complaint by the boys against Pastor Kayanja whom they accuse of sodomizing them.
However, Pr Senyonga insisted that while there are likely to be some boys who may want to take advantage of the situation to make money it is also important for DPP to know that there are also boys who are insisting that they were actually sodomized and deserve to be heard.
“In my humble view, it is important that justice is not only done but seen to be done and this can only be achieved if the complaints by both sides and not merely one side are given serious consideration. Again my humble request is that Pastor Kayanja’s voice should be heard with these allegations against the boys and if they are saying these things out of line he should cleared but also the boys should be heard if they were actually sodomized or not and no one can ascertain to that accept through courts of law,” he said
