Man Jose Kayima
The ongoing court case of defamation and trespass at Muwanga II Court had two witnesses’ submissions pin Pastor Jackson Ssenyonga on Friday.
The case has eight accused males with some being former employees at Pastor Ssenyonga’s church over defamation and trespass with Pastor Robert Kayanja and his Church as the victims.
Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya presented two witnesses in front of Grade I Magistrate Adams Byarugaba whose submissions pinned Pastor Ssenyonga as the man behind the character assassination moves.
The first witness who asked for protection from the display of her image in the media for personal and security-related reasons was the first in the dock.
By the name of Juliet Nayiga, an editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation who handled the transcription and translation of the audio recordings handed to her by Old Kampala Police had a report mentioning Pastor Ssenyonga four times.
The Luganda recordings played in court had the accused plotting on how best to execute the job and repeatedly mentioning the paymaster, Pastor Ssenyonga.
The 2021 recordings on the flash disk are named X and had two voices of Reagan and Adrian both on bail with Reagan taking the lead.
“Pastor Kayanja abandoned us but now I have a big person who wants him down and he has promised to pay big,” Reagan’s voice on the recording sounded adding.
“Just know Ssenyonga has money to push this thing and he has other big people behind him,” Reagan went on to sell Adrian the idea who bought it.
Fast forward, to witness number two, Simon Tumukunde who worked with five out of the eight accused at Pastor Kayanja’s farm in Kiryandogo and was part of the deal narrated from the genesis.
“Reagan used to disappear from the farmhouse and move to Kigumba town for days and sometimes weeks. One day he returned and told us that he had spoken to Pastor Kayanja over their payment and that they should go to church and pick it up.”
They together with Joel Kalungi, and Kisekya, led by Reagan drove to Kampala and found Pastor still preaching hence waiting at the reception.
“After the service, Pastor asked us why we were in Kampala and who we had left taking care of the farm. Reagan replied that we had financial problems and we needed some money urgently.”
“Pastor Kayanja asked us why we didn’t call first but we had no answer and he told us that he would contact us after securing the money.”
After three days, we were called and each was paid four million shillings by a supervisor called Fred Kisitu who told us that he would call us back to get the balance.
“We left the church premises happily and afterward, Reagan called us again to pick our balance. We went and signed for 1.7m each, and everyone went to his place.”
*The beginning of the blackmail*
After a while, Reagan called his colleagues and told them that he had talked to Pastor Kayanja, and agreed on a way forward of going back to work.
“We went to Church and we found Magumba Aggrey at the checkpoint who asked us if we had an appointment. Reagan told him that Herbert Ssembatya was expecting us.”
“Immediately after accessing the premises, Reagan, Alex Wakamala, Kagoro Martin, and Moses started shouting that we had come to be paid money for being sodomized.”
“A commotion erupted and I withdrew, it was at that moment that I pulled Kisakye to the side and asked him what was going on and he told me to stay calm but I opted out and walked out of the church’s premises.”
Tumukunde went on to say he later got a phone call informing him about the arrest of his colleagues. “The other phone call that comes in from one Aggrey Kanene telling me to find him at Kawempe Police.”
“I found him with two other individuals who identified themselves as Jamil and Israel Wasswa and they asked me if I knew Pastor and those who were arrested.”
Kanene, Wasswa, and Jamil all former employers of Pastor Ssenyonga asked Tumukunde to open a file similar to that of his colleagues if he wanted his colleagues to be released.
“I bought the idea after a long meeting in which they told me that they have the First Lady on their side so I shouldn’t be afraid of anything and financial help will come.”
“From there, we headed to Old Kampala Police. Jamil and Aggrey left me in the car and returned with my colleagues walking freely. Each of us was given fifty thousand as transport.”
After some days, Jamil called them to go for a medical checkup at Nsambya barracks and it’s when Pastor Ssenyonga’s henchman Israel Wasswa took charge.
“The reports come out and all of us were fine but they told us to keep the lie alive and it was at this moment when I pulled out of the deal.”
