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 forcing him to implicate jailed General James Birungi in the alleged fake bomb plots in Kampala.

Hamza Lyavala, who recently pleaded guilty to murder alongside Adil Walusansa, made the allegations while testifying before the General Court Martial in Makindye. He claimed Rugumayo wanted him to say that Birungi had given the group Shs10 million to facilitate the alleged operations, which he insisted was untrue.

Lyavala told the court that the alleged incident occurred in June 2025 at the UPDF Special Investigations Bureau in Mbuya, where he recorded a 69-page statement over three days in the presence of several intelligence officers.
According to the witness, Rugumayo rejected his initial statement because it did not implicate Birungi.

He alleged that the former intelligence commander tore up the statement and pressured him to prepare another containing accusations against the detained general. “He wanted me to implicate General Birungi, which I didn’t,” Lyavala told the court.

Lyavala further alleged that he was tortured and instructed to use specific words against Birungi. He maintained that his original account reflected what he knew and denied that the general had provided money for the alleged bomb operations. The accusations against Rugumayo have not been independently established.

The witness also described his alleged transition from membership in the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) to working as a government informer. He testified about his dealings with security officials, including Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga, and operations connected to the Munyonyo and Kalerwe incidents.

Lyavala told the court that he preferred arresting suspected attackers rather than allowing explosions to occur. 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.

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Meanwhile, Lyavala and Walusansa have pleaded guilty to murder charges linked to the incidents, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty and the defence requesting leniency. Gen Birungi remains detained on separate security-related charges as the court continues hearing the case surrounding the alleged bomb plots.