CMI commander tortured me to implicate Gen Birungi – witness

What the report says

A witness in a military court case in Uganda has accused former deputy Chief of Military Intelligence commander Brig Gen Abdul Rugumayo of torturing him and pressuring him to falsely implicate detained Gen James Birungi in alleged bomb-related operations. The claims were made by Hamza Lyavala, a state informer who was convicted of murder in connection with the suspected staging of fake bomb attacks in Kampala, during testimony before the General Court Martial in Makindye.

Lyavala said Rugumayo pushed him to say Birungi had given him money to support the alleged missions, and that his first statement was torn up because it did not include those allegations. He testified that he recorded statements at the Special Investigations Bureau in Mbuya in June 2025 and that officers including Rugumayo were present. The Observer noted that the allegations were raised in court and have not been independently verified.

The testimony was given during the trial of Lyavala’s co-accused, Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, and comes as Birungi awaits a bail hearing after more than a year in detention on treachery and security-related charges. Lyavala also described his alleged shift from the Allied Democratic Forces to working as an informer for security agencies, and recounted events tied to the Munyonyo and Kalerwe incidents. The wider case has drawn attention because prosecutors say the incidents may have been staged to create fear and the appearance of a terrorist threat.