Pastor Kayanja drags Bishop Kiganda’s Kingdom TV to court for defamation

Miracle Centre Cathedral’s Pastor Robert Kayanja has announced his intention to take legal action against Kingdom Television (KTV), owned by Bishop Samuel Kiganda, for what he claims is a defamatory news report that misrepresented court proceedings. 

Kayanja says the news clip, which went viral last weekend on social media, falsely suggested that he was implicated in sending pornographic material, a claim he categorically denies. 

Kayanja has stated that he will be seeking legal recourse against the broadcaster for spreading falsehoods that have tarnished his reputation.

“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.

The viral report aired on KTV presented details from a case where Kayanja is accusing nine individuals of fabricating digital evidence to implicate him in misconduct. 

The report included what the journalist presented as forensic findings from an expert, which allegedly linked Kayanja to inappropriate material. 

However, Kayanja insists that none of this information was stated in court, and the allegations are entirely false.

“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.

Kayanja further pointed out that the information aired on KTV had been manipulated, as the forensic expert in the case, Enock Kanene, later testified that no such material had been found in his analysis.

On Monday, during court proceedings at Mwanga II Magistrates Court, forensic expert Enock Kanene testified that he had not found any pornographic material linked to Pastor Kayanja on the device he examined. 

This contradicted the report aired by KTV, which had suggested that such material was present. Kanene clarified that his findings had been misrepresented by the media.

Further scrutiny revealed that some parts of the forensic report, including critical communication records, were not accurately represented. 

Kanene acknowledged that gaps in the report, such as missing WhatsApp messages and improperly formatted pages, raised concerns about its integrity.

Pastor Kayanja, who has seen his reputation come under attack, expressed outrage over the spread of false information and emphasised that the matter had gone beyond normal media missteps. 

“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 case revolves around nine young men accused of creating fake evidence to falsely implicate Pastor Kayanja. 

The group is also charged with trespassing on church property and providing false information to police. During the trial, evidence presented by the prosecution revealed that some of the materials used in the case were questionable, including the involvement of Kanene, who had communicated with one of the accused prior to his forensic analysis.