A prosecution witness in the alleged staged bomb attacks case has accused former Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence (CMI) commander Brigadier General Richard Rugumayo of torturing him and pressuring him to implicate jailed General James Birungi in the alleged fake bomb plots in Kampala.
Hamza Lyavala, who was recently convicted of murder after pleading guilty alongside Adil Walusansa, made the allegations while testifying before the General Court Martial in Makindye. He claimed Rugumayo wanted him to state that Birungi had given the group Shs10 million to facilitate the alleged bomb missions, an accusation Lyavala insisted was untrue.
Lyavala told the court that the alleged pressure occurred in June 2025 when he was recording a statement at the UPDF’s Special Investigations Bureau in Mbuya. He said he wrote a 69-page statement over three days in the presence of several intelligence officers, including Rugumayo, Major Habyarimana, Major Ssekajja and Major Okumu.
According to Lyavala, Rugumayo was dissatisfied with his first statement because it did not implicate Birungi. He alleged that the former intelligence commander tore up the statement and pressured him to prepare another one containing claims against the detained general. “He wanted me to implicate General Birungi, which I didn’t,” Lyavala told the court, adding that he was given words and phrases to use against him.
The witness further alleged that the pressure continued until he recorded another statement after what he described as torture. He maintained that his original account contained the facts as he knew them and denied that Birungi had provided money for the alleged operations. The allegations against Rugumayo were made during court proceedings and had not been independently established in the account provided.
Lyavala also gave the court a detailed account of his alleged journey from membership in the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) to working as a government informer. He testified that he later provided intelligence to security officials and became involved in operations connected to the people now linked to the Munyonyo and Kalerwe incidents. He also described his subsequent work with different intelligence officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga.
The witness alleged that Byaruhanga was involved in plans relating to individuals who were reportedly being considered for suicide attacks in Kampala. He told the court that he favoured arresting those involved rather than allowing explosions to take place. His testimony also covered the June 2025 Munyonyo incident, where a woman carrying an explosive device reportedly died when it detonated, and the later Kalerwe incident in which another woman was shot dead.
Prosecutors allege that the Munyonyo and Kalerwe incidents were staged to create the impression of a genuine terrorist threat. Byaruhanga has denied the charges against him, and the court is still hearing the case. Meanwhile, Lyavala and Walusansa have pleaded guilty to murder charges relating to the incidents, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty and the defence asking for leniency. Gen Birungi, who remains detained on separate security-related charges, is also expected to appear in court for a bail hearing, as questions surrounding the alleged bomb plots and intelligence operations continue.
