Veteran Ugandan pastor Robert Kayanja has signaled a looming legal battle with a local broadcaster, escalating tensions between religious leaders and the media over the accuracy of court reporting.
The senior pastor of Miracle Centre Cathedral said he had instructed his lawyers to pursue action against Kingdom Television (KTV), a station owned by Bishop Samuel Kiganda, following the circulation of a news report he describes as false and damaging.
The disputed clip, which spread rapidly across social media platforms over the weekend, suggested that Kayanja had been implicated in the transmission of pornographic material—an allegation he firmly rejects.
Kayanja told worshippers that the broadcast crossed a line and warranted legal redress.
“We are peaceful people. So, today I talked to my lawyers. We are going to take them on. You cannot lie to the whole nation,” Kayanja told a congregation at his church.
At the center of the dispute is a criminal case in which Kayanja has accused nine individuals of fabricating digital evidence in an alleged attempt to implicate him in misconduct. The televised report by KTV purported to relay courtroom developments, including what was presented as forensic analysis linking the pastor to inappropriate material.
Kayanja, however, maintains that the report bore little resemblance to what transpired before the court.
“This began when a faceless recording was released by a certain lady representing KTV of Bishop Kiganda, alleging that there were certain things that were spoken in the court. Well, we found out, and the court pronounced itself on Monday, that what was said in that (news clip) never happened in court,” he said.
He further argued that the broadcaster’s account relied on distorted or entirely inaccurate information, adding that even expert testimony cited in the report had been mischaracterized.
Conflicting Accounts Emerge in Court
Proceedings on Monday at Mwanga II Magistrates Court introduced a key contradiction to the televised claims. Forensic expert Enock Kanene told the court he did not find any pornographic material linked to Kayanja on the device under examination.
His testimony appeared to directly contradict assertions made in the KTV report, which implied that such material had been identified. Kanene indicated that his findings had been inaccurately conveyed in the broadcast.
Additional scrutiny of the forensic documentation raised further questions. Sections of the report, including communications data, were said to be incomplete or improperly presented. Kanene acknowledged inconsistencies, citing missing WhatsApp exchanges and formatting irregularities that cast doubt on portions of the material.
The pastor, whose public standing has come under renewed scrutiny since the clip surfaced, said the situation reflected more than a routine reporting error.
“This went beyond normalcy. Why would anyone say things that the magistrate has not said, the witness has not said, and claim that this has come out of the court?” Kayanja questioned.
The underlying case continues to unfold in court, with nine young men facing charges related to the alleged fabrication of evidence intended to implicate the pastor. They are also accused of trespassing on church premises and providing false information to police.
During earlier proceedings, prosecution submissions indicated that some of the evidence presented in the case may itself be problematic. Attention has also turned to Kanene’s role, after it emerged that he had prior communication with one of the accused individuals before conducting his forensic analysis.
The developments have added layers of complexity to an already contentious case, now further amplified by a dispute over media coverage.
Kayanja’s threatened lawsuit signals that the fallout could extend beyond the courtroom, potentially setting up a broader legal test around journalistic responsibility and defamation in Uganda’s fast-moving digital news environment
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