The General Court Martial in Makindye has found Hamza Lyavala and Adil Walusansa, two former state informers, guilty of involvement in the bomb incidents in Munyonyo and Kalerwe. According to the court, Lyavala and Walusansa supplied security agencies with false intelligence about alleged terrorist threats while they were themselves involved in the operations.
The court heard that the intelligence provided by Lyavala and Walusansa was intended to mislead security agencies about the circumstances surrounding the incidents, which were initially presented as counter-terrorism operations. The first incident occurred on June 3, 2025, near the Munyonyo Catholic Shrine during Martyrs Day celebrations, where a woman was killed in a bomb blast.
A second incident occurred weeks later in Kalerwe, where another woman was shot dead after she was allegedly identified as a suspected female bomber. Earlier reports had linked both incidents to alleged Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) threats. However, investigations into the incidents later raised questions about the authenticity of the intelligence used to justify the operations.
The investigations led to the arrest and interrogation of several military intelligence officers and civilian informers. The prosecution case against Lyavala and Walusansa is that they were not merely informers passing intelligence to security agencies but were participants in the operations and helped bring the bombs that were subsequently used.
Their co-accused, Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, has maintained his innocence and denied involvement in the alleged scheme. Byaruhanga, who previously served as Director of Special Operations within Defence Intelligence and Security, was among senior military intelligence officers whose roles came under scrutiny following the investigations into the alleged fake terror alerts.
The case stems from a wider military investigation into allegations that intelligence about terrorist threats in Kampala was fabricated or manipulated, resulting in security operations that caused deaths. The Munyonyo and Kalerwe incidents had initially been presented as attempts to stop suspected terrorist attacks, but subsequent investigations raised questions about how the intelligence was generated and acted upon.
The court martial's conviction of Lyavala and Walusansa brings to a close a significant chapter in the investigation into the manipulation of intelligence on terrorist threats in Kampala. The incident raised concerns about the integrity of security operations and the impact of false intelligence on public safety.
Key points
- Two former state informers were convicted for their roles in the Munyonyo and Kalerwe bomb incidents.
- The bomb incidents occurred in June 2025, killing two women.
- The court martial found that the intelligence provided by the two men was intended to mislead security agencies.
