Forensic expert tells court no pornographic material sent by Pastor Kayanja

By Skika Reporter

Proceedings in the case involving nine youths accused of fabricating allegations against city pastor Robert Kayanja resumed Monday with dramatic testimony from a police forensic expert, who told court he found no pornographic material linked to the cleric.

The case is being heard before the Mwanga II Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Grade One Magistrate Adams Byarugaba.

The accused youths are jointly charged with fabricating evidence intended to tarnish the reputation of Pastor Kayanja, as well as trespassing on church premises and giving false information to police.

Forensic findings challenged

Police forensic examiner Enock Kanene took the stand and was subjected to a detailed cross-examination led by Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya.

Kanene told court that his forensic analysis did not uncover any incriminating material on the device he examined.

“After a thorough examination of the phone, I never found any evidence of pornographic material in form of texts, WhatsApp messages or videos sent by Pastor Kayanja,” he testified.

However, prosecution introduced communication records showing that Kanene had been in frequent contact with one of the accused, Isreal Wasswa, prior to conducting the forensic analysis and compiling his report.

Kanene confirmed both the communication and a physical meeting with Wasswa before examining the phone—an admission that sparked tension in court.

“My report is independent,” he maintained when questioned about the integrity of his findings.

At one point, the forensic expert appeared visibly distressed after being confronted with the communication records.

“I am going to lose this job because of this testimony,” he told court.

The exchange prompted Magistrate Byarugaba to briefly halt proceedings and call the parties into chambers.

Contradictions and gaps emerge

Earlier in the session, prosecution played a clip from a local television station suggesting that Kanene had previously indicated that Pastor Kayanja shared pornographic material with the accused. Under oath, however, the expert denied making such findings.

Further scrutiny of his report revealed inconsistencies. Kanene admitted that not all extracted WhatsApp messages were included in his submission and that the messages presented were not arranged chronologically.

The court also heard that some page numbers in the report had been manually altered despite originally being computer-generated.

“There was a mistake and I altered it by pen,” Kanene explained, attributing the discrepancy to a printer error.

Questions over expertise

During cross-examination, the prosecution also raised questions about Kanene’s qualifications and referenced a separate forensic report compiled by Assistant Superintendent of Police Hillary Musiime based on the same material.

Kanene acknowledged Musiime’s seniority.

“He is senior to me in rank and academic knowledge and his report is more detailed in text than mine,” he told court.

Case background

The case stems from allegations that the nine accused persons fabricated digital evidence in an attempt to implicate Pastor Kayanja in misconduct.

Earlier in the trial, court directed several government agencies—including the National Identification and Registration Authority, Uganda Prisons Service, and the Uganda National Examinations Board—to provide records relating to one of the accused, Reagan Ssentongo.

Prosecution said the records are intended to resolve inconsistencies in Ssentongo’s testimony, particularly regarding his identity and age.

The cross-examination of the forensic expert is expected to continue on April 7, as the high-profile trial enters a critical phase.