Robert Kayanja
Kayanja at Miracle Center Cathedral
Born
Masooli, Gayaza Uganda
Occupations
  • Pastor
  • author
  • motivational speaker
SpouseJessica Kayanja
Children3
Websiterobertkayanjaministries.org

Robert Kayanja is the founder and senior pastor of the Miracle Centre Cathedral, a megachurch in Kampala. He is also the founder and CEO of a Christian television channel, Channel 44 Television (Miracle Ltd).[1]

Ministry and theology

Robert Kayanja started the Miracle Centre as a papyrus reed structure, together with a few other young ministers. Today it is among the region's largest church buildings, accommodating over 10,000 people. He is also overseer of the Miracle Bible College, the Never Again Children's project and the Kapeeka orphanage. He is the director of Miracle Television and a frequent speaker on Daystar Television Network.[2] The church has also founded over 1,000 Miracle Centre churches across the country.[3]

Kayanja encourages his congregation to achieve wealth and serve their personal goals.[4][5]

He is the chairman of AfriAid.[6]

Awards

Kayanja won the Worldsavers Man of the Year Award in 2014.[7]

Kayanja also won the VIGA Merit Award. The VIGA Awards are Uganda's National Interdenominational gospel awards, through which the gospel Music industry recognizes and rewards its peers for their musical accomplishments.[8]

Philanthropy

President Yoweri Museveni paid tribute to pastor Robert Kayanja and General Salim Saleh for spearheading food aid to South Sudan.

"I congratulate the congregation and General Saleh for having the noble idea of helping our brothers and sisters in South Sudan who are in need," he said. He observed that they have made the aid in line with the teachings in the Bible that require man to love his neighbor as he loves himself. He said that they were making the right move in standing by our brothers in South Sudan.[9]

Senior Presidential advisor on military affairs, General Salim Saleh, along with Kampala businessmen under the umbrella organization Afri-Aid, have raised sh300m to buy food for people in war-ravaged South Sudan.[10] Saleh explained that before the fundraising drive for the people of South Sudan, Kampala business woman Esther Mpumuza approached him and advised that there was need to pray for the people of South Sudan and also mobilize financial support for them.

Kayanja in South Sudan

As chairman of Afri-Aid, Kayanja said, "This is the time for Africans to bring whatever you have so that we can support our people who are living a bad life in South Sudan. As the chairman of Afri-aid I have to make sure Ugandans raise sh2b to buy food for the people in South Sudan."[10]

Criticism and controversy

On 31 December 2005, Kayanja prophesied that one of the presidential election candidates would die.[11] MPs expressed concern,[12] but this did not happen before the election.

In 2006 he was criticised for amassing wealth and building a palace at Gaba, a suburb of Kampala on the shore of Lake Victoria. Kayanja told critics to mind their own business, saying that the grand house was a marriage gift to his wife.[13]

In 2009, a scandal erupted when Kayanja was accused of sexually abusing two teenage male church members.[1] Other pastors had assisted the teenagers in filing their complaints, which were later withdrawn. Kayanja's supporters accused rivals of seeking to damage his reputation ahead of a visit by American preacher Benny Hinn to the Miracle Centre Cathedral.[1] The police later cleared Kayanja of sodomy.[14] They also cleared his accusers of charges of conspiracy to damage his reputation.[15] However, in October 2012 Buganda Road Court fined six people, including pastor Martin Ssempa, 1 million shillings (about $390 US) each and ordered them to do 100 hours of community service, after convicting them of conspiring to destroy Pastor Robert Kayanja's name and profession.[16]

Confession and apology

On 2 December 2016, Musasizi Robert, popularly known as Mukisa, who was the principal witness in 2009 accusing Kayanja of sexual abuse, went to Miracle Centre Cathedral in company of his mother.[17] This was during the 77 days of Glory, a revival assembly of prayer and communion with the Holy Spirit. Musasizi Robert publicly confessed to having been used as a puppet by some pastors and legal practitioners to accuse Kayanja, something which was not true.[18] He looked sorry and apologised to Kayanja and wife Jessica Kayanja. By the end of the confession, Kayanja forgave and blessed this gentleman's family and prophesied prosperity upon him.[19]

Personal and family life

Kayanja resides in Kampala with his wife Jessica, son Robert Kayanja Jr. and twin daughters Kirstein and Kristiana. Kristiana survived brain cancer in 2004.[20] Pastor Kayanja is the younger brother of the former Anglican Archbishop of York, John Sentamu,[4] and of David Makumbi, a bishop in a Ugandan church.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Uganda embroiled in church sex scandal, AFP, 21 May 2009. Archived 25 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Pastor Robert Kayanja Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine on his official website
  3. ↑ Billy Bruce, 'Reign of Terror' Reversed in Uganda, Charisma magazine, USA, 31 October 2002
  4. 1 2 John Lloyd, "The riches of heaven", Financial Times Weekend magazine, 25 October 2008.
  5. ↑ SENTAMU gave me my first pair of shoes – Kayanja Archived 16 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, New Vision.
  6. ↑ Uganda launches food aid initiative to South Sudan, New Vision, 11 December 2014
  7. ↑ "World Savers Excellence Awards 2014". Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  8. ↑ http://www.ugandaonline.net/viga
  9. ↑ "President commends Afric Aid for food donation to South Sudan | State House Uganda".
  10. 1 2 "Uganda launches food aid initiative to South Sudan". Archived from the original on 15 December 2014.
  11. ↑ One presidential candidate to die – Pastor Kayanja prophesies Archived 18 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine, New Vision, 2 January 2006.
  12. ↑ MPs want govt to act on Kayanja over prophecy Archived 12 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine, New Vision, 7 January 2006.
  13. ↑ Mind your business, Kayanja says Archived 26 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, New Vision, 10 September 2006.
  14. ↑ Kayanja Survives Sodomy Charges, New Vision, 25 September 2009. Archived 9 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ Court Acquits City Pastors in Kayanja Sodomy Case, The Monitor, 26 January 2011. Retrieved at allafrica.com, 3 July 2011.
  16. ↑ Pastor Kayanja sodomy accusers convicted, New Vision, 3 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  17. ↑ https://watchdog.co.ug/pr-kayanjas-homosexuality-accuser-finally-apologizes-says-he-was-being-used-by-enemy-pastors/ Archived 10 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine, "Revealing the whole truth", 3 December 2016.
  18. ↑ http://bigeye.ug/pastor-robert-kayanjas-homosexuality-case-accuser-reveals-whole-truth/ , "Accuser's Confession", 3 December 2016.
  19. ↑ Pastor Robert Kayanja's Homosexuality case accuser reveals the whole truth., retrieved 19 January 2022
  20. ↑ Kayanja's Daughter Survives Brain Cancer, New Vision, 14 January 2004
  21. ↑ Ugandan made Archbishop Archived 17 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, New Vision, 18 June 2005. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
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