The General Court Martial in Makindye, Uganda, has sentenced Hamza Lyavaala and Adil Walusansa to death for their roles in the murders of two women in staged bomb attacks. The court found that the two former Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel members, who later worked as state informers, had participated in a carefully planned operation that involved recruiting and transporting vulnerable women from Busoga. The women were given explosive devices to carry out purported suicide missions during the 2025 Martyrs Day celebrations.
According to the court's findings, the operation was discussed in a meeting convened by Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga at Gowers Gardens in Namulanda about three weeks before the Martyrs Day celebrations on June 3, 2025. The court heard that Byaruhanga gave Lyavaala money to secure a woman for the operation at Munyonyo and undertook to brief Maj Gen Richard Otto and inform Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) operatives, who were allegedly made to believe the mission was genuine.
The first victim, Byaruhanga Sumayiya, was transported from Busoga, accommodated in a rented house, and later given an explosive device to carry to Munyonyo. She died on June 3, 2025, when the device strapped to her body exploded at Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine during the annual celebrations. The second victim, Sawiya Azuta, was also recruited and allegedly given what she believed were explosives for another operation. She was intercepted by JATT operatives at Kalerwe on June 21, 2025, and subsequently shot dead during the incident.
The court, presided over by Brig Richard Tukacungurwa, ruled that the murders were premeditated and involved the deliberate exploitation of vulnerable women. Tukacungurwa said the crimes had caused immense suffering to the victims and the boda-boda riders who transported them, while the incidents had thrown the public into panic and fear. He observed that the murders were not spontaneous but involved deliberate planning, including the recruitment and transportation of the women, securing accommodation and providing them with explosive devices.
The prosecution had asked for the maximum sentence, arguing that the gravity of the offences, the vulnerability of the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths warranted capital punishment. However, defence lawyers Frank Kanduho and Maj Simon Busagwa asked the court to impose a lesser sentence, citing the convicts' decision to plead guilty, their remorse and their previous involvement in counter-terrorism operations.
The defence lawyers presented their family circumstances in mitigation, telling the court that Lyavaala has six children and four wives, while Walusansa has seven children and three wives. In his response, Tukacungurwa acknowledged that the guilty pleas had saved judicial time and resources and considered their previous counter-terrorism roles as mitigating factors. However, he said sentencing was not solely intended to rehabilitate offenders but also to serve justice and protect society.
The chairperson ruled that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating factors, particularly the deliberate planning of the murders and the exploitation of vulnerable women. He sentenced both men to death and informed them of their right to appeal. Lyavaala and Walusansa were jointly charged with Lt Col Byaruhanga on July 6, 2026, with two counts of murder. Byaruhanga, a former commander of special operations in the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, remains a co-accused in the case and will face trial separately.
Key points
- The court found that the two former ADF rebels turned state informers had participated in a carefully planned operation that involved recruiting and transporting vulnerable women from Busoga to carry out purported suicide missions.
- The prosecution had asked for the maximum sentence, arguing that the gravity of the offences, the vulnerability of the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths warranted capital punishment.
- The defence lawyers presented their family circumstances in mitigation, telling the court that Lyavaala has six children and four wives, while Walusansa has seven children and three wives.
