Fake bombs case: Drama as ex-CMI informants retract guilty plea
Prosecution alleges that investigations established that the operations were staged to instil fear among members of the public and the state.
Fake bombs case: Drama as ex-CMI informants retract guilty plea
___________________
Two former military intelligence informants, who admitted to orchestrating fake bomb attacks in Munyonyo and Kalerwe in Kampala have made a dramatic U-turn and asked the general court martial to allow them to withdraw their guilty pleas and instead battle the charges.
Hamza Lyavaala and Adil Walusansa, who were convicted on their own plea of guilty on October 5, now want the military court to reconsider their plea in a development that could alter the course of the high-profile case involving former senior military intelligence officers.
The two made the request yesterday (October 12) after testifying against their co-accused, Lt. Col. Ephraim Byaruhanga, the former Director of Special Operations at the Defence Intelligence and Security (formerly Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence - CMI), who has denied the charges.
The three (Lyavaala, Walusansa and Byaruhanga) are jointly charged in connection with allegedly staging bomb incidents at Munyonyo during the June 3, 2025, Martyrs Day celebrations and at Kalerwe Market on June 21, 2025.
Lyavaala and Walusansa were convicted after admitting the prosecution’s account of how the two operations were allegedly planned and executed. They were awaiting sentencing when the latest twist emerged.
The three-member court, chaired by Brig. Gen. Richard Tukacungurwa, questioned the basis of their request, particularly because the two had earlier confirmed that they understood the legal process and the consequences of pleading guilty.
“Last time when we were here, we took you through the whole legal process and told you the consequences of changing your plea and even the sentence that is involved. You said you had heard and understood. What has changed now?” Tukacungurwa asked Lyavaala.
The court chairperson then turned to Walusansa to establish whether he, too, was seeking to change his plea on the advice of his lawyer.
“Yes, I am under the guidance of my lawyer,” Walusansa said.
The court, however, did not immediately grant the request, with Tukacungurwa clarifying that the proceedings were not yet at the sentencing stage.
The case was adjourned to October 26, 2026, when the court is expected to rule on whether Lyavaala and Walusansa can withdraw their guilty pleas and plead not guilty.
CMI, under which the two operated as informants, was rebranded as DIS under the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Establishment Act, 2021